DEATH IN THE POT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1180, 12 October 1894, Page 6

DEATH IN THE POT.

We have received the following letter from Mr Bennett, of Christchurch, the representative of Messrs Fitter and Sons, the well - known Colonial Meat Salesmen, of the Central Market, London. Mr Bennett has enclosed some newspaper clippirgs which wo append to his letter. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sir, —It has been the practice of the freezing companies here to attach labels to mutton and lafnb by means of barbed staples, and my firm have written to me drawing my attention to the matter and asking me to dissuade the various companies from doing so, as the practice is a most dangerous one. They have sent me the enclosed newspaper cuttings from various Home journals, and I think that no better means of stopping such a hazardous custom could bo adopted than through the press. I have acquainted the leading journals in the South Island with the contents of these newspaper cuttings, and I will be glad if you will return them to me when you have done with them. I am. Yours faithfully, , R. B. Bennett. Christchurch, 2nd October, 1894.

I “ New Zealand lamb is very toothsome 1 and nourishing food, beyond question ; the best quality is very little, if at all, inferior to English lamb. But dealers in this excellent meat should be more careful than they are in seeing that it contains nothing harmful to consumers. When lately dining off a prime leg I found between my teeth a hard substance. On extracting this it proved to be a small steel staple with sharp points, such as one uses for fixing wire netting. How it got into the lamb the vendor could not imagine ; there it was nevertheless, and it must have been driven in right up to the head, or it would have been observed either by the cook or myself. Now, had I swallowed the stagde it was precisely the sort of article to have perforated some intestine, with the result of death. A friend tells me that his wife recently had her throat painfully lacerated by swallowing something embedded in New Zealand lamb. In all probability that was another of these deadly staples.” “ That death has lurked in the pot in all ages is an unpleasant but established fact. Lucrezia Borgia introduced the deadly potion served up with spiced wine in golden goblets; the modern murderess prefers usually to mix her strychnine or arsenic with the savoury contents of her stewpot. But another danger now threatens the public. The meat brought from our New Zealand colonies has in several instances been found to contain a small but dangerous instrument, and in one case a person while eating some of this meat actually got the unpleasant contrivance in his mouth. It is something after the style of a double fishhpok, or a small ‘hold-fast’ with barbed points. Our illustration will serve to show the ugly character of the thing. For what purpose it is introduced into the mutton it would be difficult to say. Is it a new form of infernal machine invented to terrify an inoffensive public, or is it a covert attempt to injure the trade in foreign meat P Whatever the object may be, the deadly character of the instrument if swallowed by anyone cannot be doubted, and it would be well for all who are in the habit of buying colonial meat to examine it well before cooking.” ‘‘NEW ZEALAND MEAT. “ TO THE EDITOR OF * THE PEOPLE.’ “ Sir, —A remark by ‘ General Chatter ’ in your edition of Sunday, 15th inst., has recalled to my notice the fact that though we have frequently eaten New Zealand lamb and enjoyed it, for the first time last week while partaking of a succulent joint, I found a hard foreign body in my mouth, and to my alarm found that I was on the point of swallowing the horrible barbed instrument, which I enclose, as ‘ General Chatter’s ’ informant does hot fully explain what an extremely deadly thing it is, recalling to mind fish-hooks, banderillos and cactus thorns. What can be the object of these abominable things ? And are they planted in the sheep during life ? If so, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should draw the attention of their Australasian brethren to the matter. At all events, some explanation as to the necessity for their obnoxious and most dangerous presence should be forthcoming. —Yours truly, “Vincent de Gernon. “ 3, The Studios, Cherriston Gardens, “ Kensington, W., July 16.”

[ln addition to the above disclosure, three other cases exactly similar have come to our knowledge. Each statement is fully authenticated; the several writers are of the highest respectability, and live at considerable distances from one another. It will bo seen from the appended illustration that the staple is of a most deadly character; any person who swallowed one would run a narrow chance of death. We are ■informed that no such article is ever used I in preparing English meat for the market. Those, therefore, who are interested in the New Zealand trade should not lose a moment in explaining how it happens that meat imported from that Colony is given such a homicidal character. Unless this is satisfactorily accounted for even the difference of price will not hinder British meat consumers from returning to

the old source of supply. A saving of 2d or 3d per lb is dearly obtained at the risk of an agonising - death. Ed. of “ The People.”] “DEATH AT THE DINING TABLE. “ Owing to continuous improvement in quality, New Zealand mutton and lamb—especially the latter —have come into very general request among householders to whom price is a serious consideration. But a startling revelation which appears in this week’s issue of The People will, unless capable of satisfactory explanation, bring all New Zealand meat into odium. W ithout pushing enquiry, our contemporary has obtained conclusive evidence that the Antipodean joint is as likely as not to bring- an agonising death to the consumer. In four separate cases within the metropolitan boundaries iron hooks with sharp barbed points have been taken into the mouths of unsuspecting people, only being detected just in time. Our contemporary gives an illustration of a hook which was very nearly swallowed by a gentleman at Kensington. It is an awful looking implement of torture ; about three-quarters of an inch long, it somewhat resembles a couple of big fish hooks whose shanks had been welded together. If swallowed, the chances are that the intestines would bo perforated ;if it stuck in the throat, no surgical instrument ever invented would get it back, as the barbs would prevent that. The most likely-look-ing supposition is that these atrocities are driven through the canvas coverings in which the meat is enveloped previous to being put on board ship, and that when this packing is torn off after arrival, the hooks remain. But whatever may be the explanation, those interested in the trade, whether exporters, wholesalers, or retailers, had better adopt remedial measures on the instant. A single death through swallowing one of these horrible appliances would about ruin the business.” [One of the atove was published in one of the letters of our London correspondent, but the importance of the subject is such that we publish the extract again. Mr Bennett has not given the names of all the newspapers from which he has taken the extracts. They are, however, as we can vouch, genuine. There is mention of illustrations which accompany the extracts. These we cannot, of course, reproduce on the spur of the moment, but we regret to be able to testify to their murderous character.—Ed. N.Z. Mail.]