The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1882.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3499, 23 September 1882, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1882.

In a previous article on the export of frozen meat from Napier we said that Hawke's Bay could afford to wait till, by taking advantage of the experience of others, tbe success ot tbe trade could be guaranteed. We were also of opinion that it was not improbable other and cheaper methods of freezing meat might vet be discovered, and we instanced Mr John Chambers' process, of which it is said that it is twenty per cent, cheaper than that of Bell and Coleman's. On those grounds we urged that there need be no hurry on tbe part of our sheepfarmers to enter upon a business of which very little is known, and of which it may be said that it partakes as yet of the character of an experiment. When the time is ripe the export of meat must become an established trade, from which sbeepfarraers will be able to derive every advantage without participating in any of the risk. This may be a very selfish way of looking at it, but, we tbink, it is a business point of view of which sight should not be lost. For it should be borne in mind that, whatever refrigerating company may be started here, a market is at once opened up for fat stock that previously did not exist. No company that could be started would be able to confine to the shareholders its purchases of stock; they might get the preference, but even so existing channels of outlet would be all the freer for those who were not so favored. Thus it was that we contended the enterprise was one quite apart from that of tbe aheepfarmer, whose business, strictly speaking, is to supply the market, whatever that market might be, so long as it waß a profitable one to him. That our remarks were not uncalled for has been borne out by the fact of the establishment of a company in London, in which some of the principal shareholders are Hawke's Bay settlers. Mr Chambers, of Te Mata, has not been idle during his absence from the colony. He has perfected and patented a process for freezing meat that is an acknowledged improvement on all other methods, and, we may be sure, as he has made himself thoroughly acquainted with the practical working of the business, he could have found no difficulty in putting forward a project that no doubt led to the formation of the company in London. At present we have but the outlines of the intended operations of this company, not the least satisfactory of which is that the port of shipment is to be at Napier, where also will be the freezing and storage depot. An influential company of this kind, whose enterprise demands the expenditure and the command of a very large capital, having its bead-quarters in this town, virtually settles the question of a site tor a harbor. It is acknowledged throughout New Zealand that no part of the colony possesses such exceptional advantages as Hawke's Bay for the rearing and fattening of live stock ; there is bere scarcely any stoppage of the growth of grass, and no portion of the province is so distant from a centre, to be selected, aa to depreciate in the course of transit the value of either cattle or sheep. In this respect we have an immense advantage over Australia, where the principal grazing countries are so remote from railway communication to the port as to seriously aftect values. Nor must it be forgotten, in estimating our resources, trjat the quality of our stock is exceptionally good, which, taken in connection with pasture and ciimate, enables our cattle to be brought to maturity—that is, fit for the butcher—fully eighteen months earlier than can be done in Australia. The frozen meat trade will thus open up an unrivalled market for both sheep and cattle, and this new outlet will not only give a vast impetus to the improvement of natural pasture, but add immeasurably to the present value of land. With such a market in prospect it will " pay" to improve country, and to occupy lands that, under existing circumstances, it might be a hazardous investment to enter upon. In connection with this subject it may be of interest to publish here the account sales of the ship Dunedin's cargo as furnished by Mr Davidson, the general manager of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company. With the exception of the carcases ot twen'y-two pigs, which realised about 7d per lb. in London, the Dunedin shipment was mutton. Including lambs, there were 4909 carcases on board. Out of the whole shipment only one carcase was unsaleable. Mr Davidson's sales accounts are as follow :— £s d d £ s d 3136 244,073 sold in London 2 2 7 fi-56 6875 9 8 323 29 4ifi sold in Glasgow 23 0 6-64 80113 6 8 477 sold by captain 199 6 11 18 6 3 — to order manager 22 7 — 6 7 9 1 — condemned — — — 3521 Lambs. „ . „„ 425 16 846 sold In London 114 645 453 Oil 24 950 sold in Glasgow 16 07 60 30 I 4 "7l_ £"97S 11 4 ft 1,164 .. .. •• •• 3. 211 £8009 14 3 CHAROIIIS. £ B d Calico for bags.. .. .. 91 8 9 Keeping meat frozan _in 1 unedin after her arrival in London 43 11 9 Prei.hton 296 4771b .. ..2779 9 5 Insurance on £75i 0 .. .. 414 13 9 Supervision (luring discharge, telegrams, *c 29 13 6 Dock Company's account for dis-charginsr .. .. .. 78 5 7 Carriage to Smithfield ... 65 10 0 Carriuire 400 Bheep, London to Glasgow 514 3 Sale commissions, Bank charges, etc 239 5 4 6 3793 2 4 Net proceeds .. .. £4216 11 It Tho net return per sheep in Port Chalmers is £1 0s UJd, or 3 23d per lb . The net return per lamb in Port Chalmers is 10s 9d, or 3 25d per lb. —It is noteworthy that the carcases of sheep shipoed by "tbe Dunedin averaged 771b each, and tbe lambs 391b. Mr Davidson says: "Excepting the very fat coarse sheep weighing over 1001b each— several weighed over 1501b, and one 182 b —tbe mutton was quite suitable to tbe English market, and a 701b to 801b wether cannot be improved on for Smithfield so long as the sheep are ' fleshy ' and there is plenty of lean to go with the fat, What is objected to is the very fat mutton, which aiong the backbone shows more fat than lean. For Scotland a smaller class of sheep is required—say, to weigh 651b to 701b. Too much care cannot be exercised in dressing the sheep carefully when slaughtered, and the kidney fat should be taken out." The best time for Belling is between November and June.