NEW ZEALAND MEAT. A DAMAGING REPORT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue 9261, 8 January 1907, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

A DAMAGING REPORT.

SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION

The following paragraph appeared in the London Gfcobe and in tihe Daily Mail on 16th November: —

"Samples of the tinned meat supplied to Leicestershire County Asylum have been found on analysis to be unfit for human food, and it was 1 stated at yesterday't meeting of the County Council that the beef came from Chicago and the mutton from New Zealand."

Mr H. C. Cameron, Produce Commissioner in London, at once enquired into the matter, and sent the Hollowing report tc tlhe High Commissioner : —

"Immediately I saw tlhe paragraph, I made investigation concerning the matter. In reply to my enquiry I was informed tfliat the brand of tinned meat that wa» in use at th*e asylum was the 'Gear' brand. I therefore at once communicated with Captain Renaut, representative of the Gear Company. Along with him I visited Leicester on Wednesday, and attended a meeking of the House Committee of fcfce asylum. I explained the object of oar visit, and had the satisfaction of learning from the chairman that the report in the newspapers was untrue, and that there was not the slightest cause for complaint against the New Zealand meat. The committee expressed the highest satisfaction with it. They weire partieukrly pleased to be informed of the very stringent SB; spection carried out by the Government of all meat slaughtered in tihe colony, and expTessed appnecMion of the interest take*, by yourself on behalf of tihe Government,, and by the agent of the meat company in investigating the matter. At my ue--quest I was supplied with a copy of tK» report by Dr Dyer, the analyst Who ex« t amiiied the meat. ... From this re-1 port it 'will be seen that the only mea^ condemned was tJiat of; Messrs Libby, c McNfeill, 'arid Libby, of Chicago, which had Been taken from a tin that had been punctured so as to admit air. NatuTt&Hy. meat in such a tin would be unfit for food. The newspaper reports do not, however, give tins information, as in all fairness they ought, I aan now in communication with the newspapers which published the paragraph, 1 and stall have the report contradicted."