NEW ZEALAND MUTTON IN LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9111, 31 January 1893, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND MUTTON IN LONDON.

SOLD AS ENGLISH.

THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. J

London, December 24. When Mr. Westby Perceval left Christchurch for London, it was with the avowed intention of advertising New Zealand. Well, he has certainly succeeded, for no colony is more favourably or more frequently mentioned. As the festive season is fast approaohing, Mr. Perceval has thought the occasion opportune for a tew words of warning to the British consumer of Christmas fare. The übiquitous representative of the new journalism is, of courso, at hand, and into his sympathetic ear, the AgentGeneral pours his woes, confident that they will find extensive circulation. Mr. Perceval is annoyed at the brazen way in which a certain proportion of retail butchers boldly sell New Zealand meat as the best Southdown. He admits, however, that the evil is not widespread, but knows where to place his hand upon certain butchers who unblushingly retail truck loads of New Zealand mutton as Southdown. Naturally, he says, the colonials dislike this deception, as they believe they produce an article good enough to be sold on its own merits. The iuterviewer wfcs not satisfied with the " official" view of tlr.3 trade deception, and extended his inquiries amongst importers. He did not get much satisfaction, as the gentleman he consulted declared that time would not permit importers to become private inquiry agents on behalf of the Britith mutton-consuming public. It was impossible to follow each separate carcase into the retail shops. He, however, condescended to give the reporter the names of a few retail butchers who were customers of his firm, and selecting one in the East-end he sought an interview with a portly knight of the cleaver, which turned out trumps when once he had overcome a natural reluctance to reveal business secrets. The interviewer is a trifle vulgar, but the confession of tho retail butcher is both amusing and instructive, and should be reproduced in his own words, This is how it runs :— , „ " I does sell little New Zealan stuff over the counter as Hinglish ; but wot's the odds ! Ain't it good meat? Ain't it fresh, pure, 'olesome and palatable ?" . He paused for breath at the end of this long string of adjectives. "An* i£ we gives the public meat a3 is good an' agrees with 'em 1 'olds wo does our dooty by 'em fair and square. True, I ain't agoin' to say as it doesn't mean extry profit, 'cos it does. But ain't a man intitled to git as much profit out of his bisness as he can, these 'ara times The speaker was evidently very much addicted to the interrogatory form of reply. "I will say this for the Now Zealan mutton, an' it shows 'ow the public like to'ave a genuine article, and that is—no piece as ever I sold for Hinglish 'as come back or lorst me a customer. That ses a good deal for the Mew Zealan', hey?" As he expected an answer, our representative was bound to admit it did.

THE EXTENT OF HIS SALES. "'Ow much do I sell Well, look for yourself. This is a pretty big stock of mutton, ain't it?—wot ycr sees around yer ? Well. 90 per cent, o' that is New Zealan. This is New Zealan' wot I'm a'heating now. And the wretched man cut a long shred of raw mutton from a neighbouring joint, and positively smiled as he swallowed it. " Lor' bless yer, don't think as I do a bis? trade neither— so big as it will be if Gord gives me strength to labour on. " Far bigger people an' me carryin on tins merry little game,'he said, huskily, endeavouring to pull himself together. The thought of premature decay had evidently unnerved him. " I ain't doin' the turnover yet as I thought I should ; but the New Zealan 'elps, an' I shall stick to 'er." Hi 3 voice failed aud trembled. Disappointment aud despair were undoubtedly gnawing at his vitals. And then a strange thing happened! Just as tears were beginning to blur the vista of pendant carcases, and the man himself seemed tottering on the verge of nervous break up, a young woman entered the shop with a market-basket on her arm, and brushing contemptuously past an officious assistant, stated that " she alius liked to see the boss." " Hi, mister," she shouted to the blue-eyed butcher, who had been our representative's vis-a-vis, "I wants a leg of prime, juicy Hinglish mutton. An' sharp's the word, an' uo kid !" Instantly this plaything of emotion was himself again! A leg was taken clown, ex hibited to the customer, handled, appraised, bought, and taken away. "Another cut o' colonial cone, he said i.o our representative, smiling capaciously. Then, shaking the visitor's hand tenderly in farewell, he whispered in melodramatic accents, " I trusts yer !" At the recent Agricultural Conference Mr. Robert Yerburgh advocated that all butchers dealing in foreign and colonial meat should be compelled to take out licenses for the sale of it, and that the fact should be conspicuously notified on the premises. He also suggested that it should be unlawful to sell foreign and colonial meat as British. It is thought that the best class of butchers would not object to this scheme, as those dealing honestly with foreign and' colonial meat would have nothing to fear from having to take out a license, beyond the expenses. Those who will sufier, as Mr. Yerburgh point-: out, will be the men who, while disclaiming openly or tacitly any knowledge of or dealings in it, have been buying foreign or colonial meat, and selling it to their customers a*, and at the price of, home-grown beef and mutton. It is said that by deft application of flour to the joints, the Dutch and New Zealand leg of mutton can be put before a customer as prime Welsh without fear of detection.