BRAND FOR FROZEN MEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12328, 21 July 1903, Page 5

BRAND FOR FROZEN MEAT.

■ -. ... ■■.-..■ ■.•■■■■ .i I :-v:.:-,. * [BY TELEGftVPn.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

WJELLiNOTONi Monday. Mb. Cameron, the New Zealand Produce Commissioner in London, who is at present on a visit to Wellington, is urging the adoption of a brand for all frozen meat exported from New Zealand to prevent foreign meats being palmed off on the customer a» New Zealand. At present tags are attached to the carcases.' but meat dealers who desire k> get the New Zealand price for inferior meats, can easily . get a collection of these tags and attach them to all sorts of cheap carcases that may come along. The p-ocess lias for a long time been detrimental to the refutation of New Zealand meat in tile ordinary market, and 'more recently the War Office authorities have been so frequently imposed upon that they are now urging the adoption of some Grand which, will check the impps-" ture. Backed up by the views of the War Office Mr. Cameron, is bringing the matter before members of Parliament. At his invitation a number of members gathered at the Gea* Meat Company's premises to-day, and inspected the brand he proposed should be adopted. A patent indelible ink is tised, the stamp consisting of a crown between the letters "E.R.," and "New Zealand" underneath. This would, in the case of sheep* be branded on the legs,, shoulders, and loin, and in the case of bullocks some additional branding would bo necessary. At present the Gear Meat Company use a similar stamp on their meat before it is retailed, and it Was shown on sheep newly" killed, as well os on. sheep which have been frozen for _ some months and thawed. Apparently, it is 'impossible to rub the stamp out and /'Gil-, ruth, the Chief Government Veterinarian, exhibited pieces of skin cut from meat served on his own table, in one case after the meat had been roasted, and in another after it had been boiled. In both cases the stamp was perfectly legible, and the experience of the Gear Meat Company is that the stamp" does not in the slightest degree interfere with the sale of the meat, but, on the contrary, that customers are continually asking tor the stamped meat, as they regard the stamp a guarantee of the quality of the article. ; -the stamp would be so arranged on the carcases thatit would be impossible to sell even portions, such as legs or shoulders, without leaving the stamp on. Thus English customers" asking for New Zealand mutton 0l !;" know that no unstamped mutton could be the New Zealand article. The members of Parliament present were highly Satisfied with what they saw. and it is probable that the stamp will soon be adopted.