THE CARRIAGE OF MEAT TO MARKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9322, 27 March 1889, Page 5

THE CARRIAGE OF MEAT TO MARKET.

—-—j>A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT. An important experiment in the carriage of dead meat to market had been made under the auspices of the New South Wales Railway Commissioners, with complete success. Mr. A. Kennedy, the officer in charge ,of works in connection with tho Sydney meat trade, has had an air-tight van prepared and fitted with machinery, to supply cold air, on the Bell-Colman and Haslam process, and one Sunday morning recently this van was loaded with six quarters of prime beef and five bodies of prime mutton, which, as is well known to the trade is tho most difficult to keep sweet. The van was attached to a special train, which started from Sydney at 7.55 p.m. on the journey to Bourke, that route being selected on account of its being the longest and hottest journey which tho railway system affords. At starting the temperature of the cold chamber containing tho meat was 30deg., and it varied between this and 45deg. during the journey. There was a seven hours' delay in consequonco of heated axles, and ultimately Bourko was reached at 1.10 o'clock on Tuesday morning, instead of at 6 p.m. on Monday. This delay occurred on the hottest portion of the journey; but the refrigorating machinery was not brought into requisition. The return journey was commenced at ten a.m. on Tuesday, and Sydney reached on Thursday morning at a-quarter to eleven. The chamber was then opened, and a critical examination of tho meat was made by Mr. Evans, a carcase butcher, Mr. Schulta, inspector of meat at Darling Harbour, and Mr. Richards, of the Riverstone Meat Company. It was found that tho beef was as fresh as when first killed, and the meat of ft good colour and in excellent condition. The examination of the mutton disclosed equally satisfactory results. It is expected that this experiment will cause a complete revolution in the meat trade. A scheme of this kind should be of great value in all centres of large grazing enterprise. The present method of transhipping cattle in the Auckland district is nob by any means satisfactory, and a system the introduction of which would permit of the stock being slaughtered in the country, the dead meat still arriving in town in fresh condition, . would be a decided improvement upon that which now obtains.