MOULDY MEAT

NZ Truth, Issue 771, 14 August 1920, Page 5

MOULDY MEAT

Stevedore's Prompt Action More About the City of Winchester Shipment. What will Happen to the Bad Carcases? With reference to the loading and subsequent unloading of 2000 carcases of mutton on the City of Winchester last Thursday and Friday, it appears that the stevedores were the first to discover that the carcases were bad and m consequence held up loading operations. Nothing was done for two hours, during which time many officials were buzzing- round like liies. After a while a few bad carcases were discharg-ed and then orders were given to go on loading good meat on top of the stuff alleged to be bad; but this the stevedores absolutely refused to do. "Truth" Is informed that threats were held over the heads of the men and that one of the bosses said ho would close the hold "up -if they continued m their refusal to load up. The men held out, however, and Invited the bosses to "SACK AWAY" AND 'K2L.OSE HER UP" if they liked. They considered that they were q.uite justified m their refusal- to work as the shipping of the bad "meat might mean that the alleged lialf-rotten stuff would be foisted upon consumers abroad. The result of their refusal was that more "head peas" came on the scene, and finally a Government inspector came along and after viewing 1 a few of the carcases he gave his decision that all of the stuff HAD TO COMB OUT. And out it came with surprising speed. It has been reported to "Truth" that a couple of trucks of rejected meat also had to be unloaded from the Kumara, also that several other truckloads were rejected and that despite the prompt action of the men working on the City of Winchester, a quantity of allegedly bad meat was loaded into No. 2 hold of ,the vessel and left there. If it is being exported, who is going to get this meat and how many good carcases will it contaminate? "Truth" is also informed that when the meat was taken from the freezers at Taratahi the men working on the job complained that many of the carcases were m a very bad condition. They were informed that the bad meat was to be dumped into the . sea. If this was the intention of the consignees, why was the bad meat placed at the bottom of the hold on the City of Winchester, and an nttempt made to pack good meat on top of it? Why, also, were some' of the bad carcases equipped with new coverings? Not to hide the fact that they WERE GREEN WITH DECAY— no, suTely not. Following on "Truth's" reference to the matter on Friday last (the reference was necessarily brief as the matter was reported to the paper shortly j before going to press), Mr. P. Fraser brought iup the question m the House of Representatives. Mr. Massey admitted that the meat had been so long m store that it had become mouldy. He said that what was fit to be "canned" would be canned and the rest would be boiled down for tallow. .It seems to "Truth" that Mr. Massey said too much. If this meat was too bad to expoi't, it ought to be too bad for New Zealanders to eat.