CHILLED BEEF

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 294, 9 November 1934, Page 6

CHILLED BEEF

SHIPMENT FROM LONGBURN. EXPANSION OF WORKS. Late last night a trial shipment of 130 quahters of chilled beef —the first to be despatched from the works—left the Longburn freezing works to be loaded on the Port Dunedin at Wellington for Home. The forwarding of this consignment marks the beginning of a new period of expansion tor the works. Throughout the winter work has been proceeding steadily on the erection of a large new block of buildings to provide special beef chilling facilities. To-day a big reinforced concrete structure of two storeys stands complete and well equipped to meet the latest development in the meat trade. It has three spacious chilling rooms, a quartering room, and a small store. , Consisting of fair ox beef from Polled Angus cattle supplied locally, the consignment which left last night is in the nature of a trial for the processing system adopted at Longburn, and the results will not be known until the end of December. Complete success is anticipated, and this means that in the very near future there will be a substantial increase in the number of employees at the Longburn works. . These are the third works in New Zealand to be so equipped, the others being at Waingawa and Westfield. The cost of the chilling installations is heavy, as may be judged from the fact that that at vVestfield involved an outlay of £40,000. , , Being soft and in fresh condition, the chilled beef is handled on the overhead rail system entirely from the time when the animal is killed. It is chilled for 48 hours, in a temperature of 29 or 30 degrees before being shipped. Special vans for the suspension of the meat inside, as in the ships’ holds, have been provided by the Railway Department, and these were used last night, the beef being run straight into them on the overhead rail.

Apart from the activities in preparing for the chilled beef trade, there have been other extensive alterations and additions made at the Longburn works. Last year the pig department was reorganised and another large cool store provided. Foundations are now being laid to take three large English boilers, each with a heating capacity of 1830 cubic feet. These are replacing obsolete boilers which have been in service for over forty years.

DEVELOPMENT OF EXPORT TRADE.

WEEKLY SHIPMENTS WANTED. MASTERTON, Nov. 8. Evidence of the remarkable progress made in the past two years in the development of an export trade in chilled beef is contained in the announcement that three shipments totalling over 3000 quarters will be made this month from the Waingawa works. Recently the firm have been making monthly shipments, but Mr P. Borthwick stated to-day that what was wanted now was weekly shipments. The beef available, he said, was of wonderful quality and the prices realised at Home were just a little below those of the best Argentine. There was a good demand at Smithfield for New Zealand shipments.