REVELATIONS OF THE LONDON MEAT TRADE.

Evening Star, Issue 9344, 18 January 1894, Page 2

REVELATIONS OF THE LONDON MEAT TRADE.

A Blue Book has been issued at Home, giving the evidence taken before the Select, Committee of the House of Lords on the " Marking of Frozen Meat." A great amount of evidence was received from both sides on the allegation that misrepresentation wa<i practised as to the country of origin of the meat sold by salesmen and dealers. The misrepresentation exists, the Committee have no doubt, chiefly in the substitution of American chilled beef for English and Scotch, but the relative prices of these show less disparity than exists between the prices of fresh and frozen mutton. The classes who suffer most from the representation of the dealers are principally those who are prepared to pay a high price for their meat and are too supine to make the necessary inquiries. The poorer classes, who buy meat in small quantities, care very little whether they are supplied with English or imported meat, provided the price is low. Major Stacpole, who has had great experience as an inspector of army rations, deposed that the meat of home-killed bulls and old cows was often sold to the poor, who are persuaded by the dealer that the inferior quality is due to the fact that it was of foreign origin. This witness established a marked distinction between frozen and refrigerated beef. He maintained that the refrigerated article, though excellent of its kind, was seldom offered to the poorer purchasers, but was palmed off upon the rich as best English beef, at English prices. From inquiries made personally, he was satisfied that a large quantity of refrigerated beef was exposed for sale in West End shops, though the butchers persistently asserted that they never had such a thing on their premises. Witnesses declared that large quantities of animals imported from abroad and slaughtered in Glasgow were dressed in the Scotch fashion and sent to Smithfield and 6old as best Scotch. In like manner imported American cattle killed at Birkenhead were stated to be sold in London as real "Aberdeen beef." Mr Yerburgh, M.P., who has already .introduced a Bill on this subject, deputed his secretary to inquire into the matter for him. To prevent the possibility of a mistake the secretary engaged a man, who had been for some time an assistant in a West End shop, to accompany him on his rounds. They made purchases of American meat at several establishments, the proprietors of which declared they kept nothing but the best Scotch. This man asserted that during the period of his service at the West End, and afterwards at a shop in the City, by far the greater proportion of the beef sold was American beef charged at English prices. It was also shown that meat prepared at Deptford was often labelled " Prime English." Mutton is equally liable to misrepresentation. Not only is New Zealand mutton frequently passed as Welsh, but River Plate mutton is made to take the place of New Zealand, and both are ticketed "Best Welsh" and priced accordingly. The Committee report that in Southport, with a population of 41,500, where fifty-four butchers carry on business, an average of only three English animals are killed during the week. The trade, it appears, is not so opposed to the principle of marking as might have been expected. They are averse to having thrown upon them the duty of marking the meat or the onus of proving the country of origin. But the real ground of objection is{ that, if marked, foreign meat would be detected, and if detected purchasers would require it to be offered at a lower price. Still, many of the witnesses agreed that as the imported meat is better known so it would increase in popularity. In the opinion of the Committee the difficulty would be met if it were made obligatory on every butcher dealing in imported meat to register himself as such dealer, and also to place a board in a conspicuous place over his shop announcing that he is registered as a dealer in imported meat,

% more fully show the tricks of the ttttdei we oonclude with an extract from Mr Arm* strong's evidence:—" Anybody who lives in the West End of London is really imposed on more than anybody else; and a great many persons all over the country, because this meat is very largely bought by them. Take Smithfield, for instance/ There are a large number of men whose business consists in buying for a certain clientele of country butchers. They come up and buy what suits their customers. They buy what is technically called ' roastings,' and send it down. In fact the proportion of American meat bought is far larger than that of Scotch beef. If you went into any of these butchers' shops in the country aud asked if they sold American meat, they would say it is a thing they never do ; they would not keep it. I can tell you an instance which happened- in a town at the seaside. A woman went into a butcher's shop and said: 'I want some American meat for my joint for to-morrow, because it is cheaper.' The butcher said: ' I have never kept American meat in my shop; I should not think of keeping it.' The woman said: ' Well,- that is a very funny thing, because my husband is one of the salesmen in the Smithfield meat market, and sells you American meat; and he told me when I came down here to go and deal with you because you were such an excellent customer to him.' I have no doubt there have been hundreds of cases of this kind if you could only know them. That is one case that has come under my personal observation, because I knew the man that supplied and the man that sold the meat."