CONTINENTAL FROZEN MEAT TRADE THROUGH BELGIUM.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7955, 20 January 1888, Page 3

CONTINENTAL FROZEN MEAT TRADE THROUGH BELGIUM.

Sir, — By publishing the enclosed you will render service, I think, to both countries — New Zealand and Belgium. For facility and clearness I bad the letter printed to send to the leading papers, consequently consider it as written by hand.— l am, &c, ALEXANDER BECK, M.E., Consul for Belgium. Christchurch, January 16, 1888.

When tho preserved meat trad>' was pushed some timo ago It did nut spread so much in fifteen years hb tho frozen ment did theso last fifteen months. The prominent reasons nro not only the greater freshness and quality of tho latter, but the duties put lately on both fresh slaughtered and frozen meat by eeveral Governments, The fact t hat frozen meat had to pay nt once duty as fresh meat when the tinned or other preserved meats were always free has done more In the public mind than one would believe. Even prepared by tho best process of preserving the people never have considered the tinned meat ac good oa fresh. bccaußo the , European Governments did not cbargo it as real fresh meat ; its use "1 was consequently limited for tho armies, \naviea, or public institutions. .In England itself tho presorvod meat has Decnniwaysßold by grocers or produce merchants, never in butchers' shops, liko tho frozen meat fer family purposes. Most of tho continental people who wore uncortain about the quality of tho frozen meat are now per- ■ thit lv tnWo n v?'t4isy t t B Jiafesa. oi iig.s ou ?? as such. Sinco the Ist of Jnnunry, 1883,*th6 Belgian (lovcrnmont has put a duty upon the ' foreign fresh or frozen meat, which are j accepted only in full or in half carcases, or in fore-quarter at least, after the inspection of a sanitary officer. Tho duty is fifteen centimes per kilogram, or a littlo Ics3 than threefarthings per English pound, for the inland consumption ; but the refrigerated stores, or chambers, aro considered as bonds, consequontly^the meat stored in Belgium for the Continental trado is free of Belgian duties. That inland duty ia lower than hi other European countries, some of them having town dues, which aro abolished in Belgiumit will not affect the inland trade, because, as is generally the case, the direct result of the new taxation has been to increase tho prices of tho butcher's meat. Until now the great druirback of the trade (or long journeys or for butoher'a shop was (ha condensation of tho atmosphere's moisture and dust upon the frozen meat, which has to be taken from the freezing room some time before to become eatable. In many cases it. becomes stale quicker than the freshslaughtered meat, Jfortunately the new patented process of Professor Linde, applied . to frozen meat, gives it not only a freshlooking appearance, but the meat can be kept eight days or more in a dry place. The new •ystem is successfully used by tho Frigoriferes d'Anvers, Antwerp, The operation is made free of charges ; the meat & not only properly thawed, but reasonably dried, so as to make it better than fresh-slaughtered meat for long railway travelling or to stay in tho shops. Besides that, tho Belgian railways, tho refrigeratinz companies and ice-works have built special cars for the inland and outlond direct traffic from Antworp to every part of Europe. Tho cars aro kept dry and nt an oven temperature by ice and some automatic valves. Largo agencies and retail shops are established in several countries and largo cities by the Frigoriferes d'Anvars. The Cio. does not deal on ita own account, except with tho vv ar Ufflce or public bodies, buying in large quantities. It takes only storage foes and a commission of two per cent, to guarantee the payments.

The actual fees or charges in Belgium vary with the quantity entered in the refrigerators or cold rooms; for instance, forty tons of meat or more pays fil 12s per ton for the first five weeka, and 4s for every week ovor that time. This includes tho recoption on b<ard, tho cartage, the storago with light, and tho delivery on trucks or core in Antwerp. My great desire is to see tho New Zealand sheepownenandrcfrigeratingcoinpaniesdoal direct with Belgium, where largo consignments from North and specially South America are regularly made. An important matter Is that the meat will be sold with their brand or trade mark mentioned with th» name of the country it comes from, as it is actually done for tho consignments of the Argentine Republic nnd from London. Several consignments come from this hist place, but the sheep are all sent and sold as Engliah. It is impossible to know if there are some of them genuine Now Zealand or not. The practice of some London middlemen or agencies is tobuyindir«ctly the consignment!), lo iell them again in the London market or forward them afterwards to tho Continent in tho buyers' name. The profits are divided between the supposed buyer and the first con. BiKnee, whilst our runholders or sheeuownera are complaining about tho absurd prices realised. I should be glad to do my best to push tha frozen meat trado. I would leave temporarily my family in New Zealand and offer my own services an(i knowledge of foreign languages to accompany any direct invoice to Antwerp, alone or ■with tbu consignors, which could make at the same time a splendid excursion after having established a good business with a reliable country.