CANTERBURY FROZEN MEAT COMPANY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCV, Issue 10918, 28 March 1896, Page 4

CANTERBURY FROZEN MEAT COMPANY.

The Canterbury Frozen Meat. Company is to be congratulated upon the success of its past year’s operations, and also upon the means by which that success has been achieved. To do the work of preparing the meat for export and treating the other products at the lowest possible cost to the customers of the company, rather than th e payment of big dividends, has rightly been the aim of the directors, and no doubt will continue to be so, though the meeting did not hamper them with a resolution limiting the dividend. A more important question is that of maintaining the quality and improving the , grading of the meat exported, and the discussion at yeaterday’s meeting on this point, should bear good fruit. The confession that the grading of the Belfast mutton has not been quite what it should have been comes as a rather unpleasant surprise. The remarks of some of the largest exporters .must have convinced the directors of the necessity for a strict grading of .mutton, and lamb. The assurance of the directors and exporters that the quality of the nieat sent to London has not deteriorated 1 may safely be. accepted, for the number of sheep' bred as described by the Chairman must be inconsiderable. The English buyers have, however, with increased supplies, become more exacting as to uniformity in weight and quality, and it is only by satisfying their requirements that a ready sale for the meat can be obtained . The assurance of the directors that the matters in question mil have their attention is, we are sure, a guarantee that careful grading according to weight and quality will be carried out at Belfast, and that the former high character of the meat from those works will be reestablished.