EXPORT OF MEAT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 953, 20 June 1868, Page 3

EXPORT OF MEAT.

The following lette:

appeared in the Argus

of the 23rd May : — Sir, — When the February mail from England arrived here the Aryus published a letter signed W. B. that appeared to me Calculated to have a very depressing effect on the efforts now being made to establish a trade in meat between Australia and England . On the principle of cvudi alter •cum, gartem, I trust you will permit me to say that on the 7th inst. I received from my nephew in Queensland a letter, stating that the squatting firm with which he is connected, had received from England ac-count-sales of beef cured by Morgan's process (injection), showing a net amount of £6 10s per beast after paying all freight, charges, and commissions, and that he was starting down to Ipswich with a hundred head to be similarly cured and shipped. By the mail that arrived from England on 14th inst. I have received a copy of the following letter, written to my brother, who resides at Liverpool : — " Liverpool, 25th March!' 1868. " Dear Sir*— ; l have been greatly interested in the perusal of the Melbourne Argus of 3rd January, and am particularly struck with the practical and very sensible remarks made by the speakers at the meeting at Scott's Hotel. Those expressions of opinion, though coming from gentlemen who perhaps, with one exception, must be to a great extent practically unacquainted with the business, are so entirely confirmed by the experience which it has taken me a lifetime to gain, that I cannot help writing to you, and giving you my views on the subject. . " Having studied the question for years, experimentally and practically, and having had hundreds of processes for preserving meat brought under my notice, the result of my experience is, that there is only one known process that can safely, certainly, and profitably be carried out in Australia. It is the one noticed at the meeting by a Mr. Eitchie. Of course I do not know the details of the plan he follows. These may be very important, and probably we have greatly improved upon his process since he left England ; but, speaking generally, the principle has never been beaten. " For many years I have preserved in my factory nearly 500,000 tins a year ; but I haye 1 recently given it up, being driven out of the trade by the high and advancing price of meat. Other manufacturers in this country must either resort to the system alluded to by Mr. J. Campbell Grassie at the Melbourne meeting, and so lose their name and reputation, or look elsewhere for. their supplies. " Since the Ramorme beef came into the market, we have found itjnore to our advantage to buy than to preserve ; we are buying it now largely, and find the quality unsurpassed. There have been trifling faults in the mode of preparation, but these will shortly be rectified. My late assistant, the manager of my factory, has just sailed for Ramornie, under an engagement for three years to superintend the preserving establishment there ; and I have no doubt that on his arrival he will correct the mistakes of the present man, and make a name for that beef that will soon place it at the very top of our market. " For the promotion of the Melbourne company we are willing to do all in our power, and if it can be arranged for our firm to become permanently interested in the sale of the preserved meats, we can at once bring to bear the largest and best connexion in the trade in Great Britain, as well as an established position on the lists of the Secretary of State for India, the Commissioners of Emigration, and most of the continental governments. " For a reasonable consideration, we would superintend the manufacture of the necessary machinery, provide one of our most experienced preservers, and supply the company with our manuscript book, which it has taken us years to compile, containing all the receipts and information relating to the process of preserving. " "We must go with the times, for we see that this country is quite worn out for the purpose, and that it is useless attempting to compete with countries in which mutton and beef are so much more abunI dant and cheap. " Yours faithfully, (Signed) " John Ekdowes." I trust that your publication of the foregoing will give confidence and energy to all who have entered or contemplate entering into this new trade. The prominent part I have taken in endeavouring by its means to enhance permanently the value of Australian pastoral property must be my apology for thus again trespassing on your very valuable space. All that I have done in the matter has been done so publicly that I am anxious to give equal publicity to the above very strong confirmation of the soundness of the method which I have urged colonists to adopt for shipping meat to England. Throughout my effort I have stated that I cannot afford to live in Melbourne, and identify myself with any particular process or company. I wish well to all, and would gladly see all expand and prosper. I feel that I may now conclude my effort by thus publicly placing at the disposal of all the very valuable information contained in the letter of Mr. Eddowes. Jno. B. Hughes. "Wannon, May 18.