FROZEN MEAT SUPPLIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15550, 6 March 1914, Page 8

FROZEN MEAT SUPPLIES.

THE LINLEY PROCESS. j [FROM our OWN CORRESPONDENT.] '% London, January 21. £ The Board of Trade returns for 1913 show =t a further striking increase in 'the imports J| of chilled and frozen beef and mutton 1 into the United Kingdom, the figures of j| the total receipts for the pasi three years g having been 628,233 tons in 1911, 642,537' 1 tons in 1912, and 720,661 tons in 1913. 1 The growth of the meat trade in South M America, especially in the Argentine, has | been extraordinary, no less than one-fifth -| of the total beef consumed in this country § in 1913 having been imported from the. / River Plate. This has been made possible .| by the introduction of improved methods fe of handling and of transport, in which tithe " Linley system," the rights of which || are owned by the Improved Chilling Com- j| pany, has played an important part. '4| In the early days of the irozen meat ; trade all beef imported into (his country J was frozen hard, and required x> be thawed | out before use. With the development of | the trade, improvements were introduced ''i for the carrying of the beef at a higher j| temperature, and landing it i:i this coun- I try in soft condition, ready for use. This M beef is known as " chilled." The Linley ~.£. system marked a great advance on any- f|| thing that has hitherto been done in this jg| direction. Under this process the surface fjfjj of the beef is specially treat jd, and the||f refrigerating chambers of tue carrying :- vessels sterilised. fUI Already over 1,000,000 quarters have 1 been successfully brought to this country m from the Argentine since the system was ' __ first used in 1907. The pre cess enables the beef to be kept in a sotnd state foS||t from 70 to 80 days from this tine of killing,; : and has solved the problem of transport- -fj ing chilled beef from countries more dis- ] tant than the Argentine. The value of such a system can he readily recognised, . for it has made commercially possible tbslfill importation of chilled- beef in good «Pfl| dition from other and more distant. <#uniifS : tries, such as Australia, Madagascar, «tc;\»phs :