NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1911, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

Mr Heniry Hill, ch.ef inspector of schools for .Hawke's Bay, in an article In the "Ha'wke's Bay Herald," gives fcome impressions of a recent visit lie paid to the meat markets of Covent Garden and AX.ithfield. "My companion," he | says, "'was once a resident of Napier and knew quite a number of the leading butchers, and we were able to see the different kinds of meat as representing the exports from Australia, the Argentine and New Zealand, j But beside the meat from the countries named there were to be seen a ilarge number of pigs from China, so'that a new competitor Las come into, the field as far as fork is eoncer-ned. My purpose in referring to the question of meat is to point out the importance of increased care beiiag taken in the pre-., sentation or appearance of meat that is sent to England,. A novice like myself could pick oat without difficulty the Argentine ineai from that of New Zealand, the appearance of the latter, as far as get up is concerned, being much inferior to the Argentine. The company known as (Swift and Co. hail, so it is said, from \ the United States and they control a\ large portion of the Argentine procfuce. ■ They certainly know how to present their meat in an attractive form and much of it appeared to be \as fresh looking as the Home killed .j«af. We went to one of the places whc).re nothing but New Zealand is sold, and some quarters of beef that iveret said to have come from Gisborne Vere wrapped in something that looked like sacking. The man in charge said that Swifts were past masters in the. art of packing, and that New ZealandXmeat would fetch a better price were\more heed paid by the butchers and packers 10 get up and appearance. It v;.a ao:t. •

ted out that some of the New-. Zealand meat showed shrinkage from \tho ribs 'as if the meat were before feeing actually cooled, the resul'/ being that when cut across the fibres showed a shrinkage of half an mcii or ifyoro below the rib bone. This was nel;ei' seen in Swi|t's meat; because no divisIcn of the meat took place until tho carcase was perfectly cold. The nighfer price obtained for New Zealand meat was owing to its intrinsic quality, but with a better get up c.en higher prices might be anticipated, although great improvements wt-rp taking place in Australian and Argentine meat cargoes.";