RETAILING FROZEN MEAT

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 24, 28 January 1918, Page 2

RETAILING FROZEN MEAT

. „ . TO .THE EDITOn. Sir,—Recently I bought a leg of mnt-,. ton from a city butcher and was charged B;jd per lb cash over the counter. The meat 'was frozen, and, when I suggested that it should be cheaper I was told that it had to be chilled because it .would not keep in the hot weather, and that, as there was a charge for freezing I .was lucky.to get it.at the same price. .1 asked why, if frozen meat must be sold, it could not be obtained from the Imperial Stores, and the butcher's reply was': " Oh, that's one of Massey's ideas; who's i doing it?" He implied further that that, scheme, though air right in theory, was not workable. Could you enlighten ,me on these points:. (1) Is the' scheme so impracticable that butchers are. compelled to send their own meat to the freezing companies to be chilled, so that it' will keep? (2) If the meat sold to me was really from the Imperial supplies, what I is there, to compel the butcher, to charge accordingly? Incidentally, I may state that this is not the first time I have been served with frozen meat and charged as for fresh.». Yet some butchers say that Mr. Massey's proposal is of no use as the people will not take the chilled goods.— I am, etc., ' CONSUMER. [Upon enquiry by a reporter, it was ascertained that under the, arrangement that the Prime Minister is now making, |-the Director of the Live Stock Division (Dr. Reakes) has the power, on application .being made to him, to grant permission to butchers to obtain their supplies of meat from the various freezing works. This meat will, if possible, be fresh, but if fresh meat is not a-vaila-blo at the works the butchers must take : frozen supplies. In the latter case the ' storage charges will be assessed as for the last ■ meat to go into the works. Prices charged to' the butchers will ba the same as those paid by the Imperial authorities.. For best wether mirtton the scale price is s|d per lb, but as this is for the whole carcase, a portion of which is lost in cutting up, and a. portion sold at less than sgd, the cost to the butcher of the best joints is naturally higher. S The scheme is in operation in Auckland and other parts of the North Island, where the relative prices at which butchers must sell' havo been fixed by the Board of Trade. From enquiries made in other than official quarters, it was learned that it is not a usual practice for butchers to place fresh meat in the frozen meat stores. So far as can be ascertained, butchers' are no.fc yet taking advantage of the scheme in Wellington.] ' ' .