FROZEN MEAT IN LONDON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6383, 28 July 1882, Page 3

FROZEN MEAT IN LONDON.

(European Mail.) Sinco our last there has been a considerable amount of correspondence iiv The Times on tho subject of frozen meat. "G. A. II." started the controversy by pointing out that the future valuo of land in England could not be seriously aileeted by any importations, no matter how large, of frozen meat from abroad. The great increase in tho population at Home must necessarily increase the price of land, irrespective of its value for farming aud grazing. Iho next day a letter appeared from the JJuko of St Albans, who thought that the fact of 0000 carcases of sheep having been successfully imported from New Zealand might well make agricultural hopos sink as far below zero as the temperature necessary to bring the carcases ovor; but his Grace pointed out that there were crumbs of comfort left to the British farmer. Land being almost valueless in JNow Zealand, the cost of bringing tins mutton to market must, ho said, be calculated against the rent and rates of land which would produce an equal quantity in this country, and on the ditferenco would depend the success or failure of this now departure in meat supply. If the trade was successfully developed, its immediate effect would be to raisp the value of meat in New Zealand, and the British agriculturist might reckon as a certainty that competition would not be carried on under the same advantageous circumstances to the importers as at present. What the farmer had really to rear was that English and frozen meat would bo sold promiscuously, that the New article would be passed off for and at English prices, while the butcher would knock down the value of our sheep on the excuse of this new supply. Wo may turn this argument round the other way, and point ouf to his Grace that what the New Zealand aud Australian farmers have to fear is that some of tho worthless English and Continental sheep brought to market may be sold as tho Colonial article, and thus create a prejudice against frozen moat which it would be impossible to withstand. Sir Francis Dillon Bell replied to the Duke of St. Albaus letter. He thought it was the greatest mistake to suppose that the prospect of a supply of frozen meat must be looked at with alarm by the English landowner or farmer. The simple fact was that Great Britain wanted a meat supply of COO.OOO tons every year, As s!»e produced less than 801b, and consumed 1201b, manifestly the odd 401b must come from somewhere, and he thought it was bettor that England should look to her colonies rather than be dependent on foreign nations. Mr I). Tallerman also replied at some length to the Duke of bt. Albans' letter. He thought that the importation of frozen meat was one of the best things that could havo happened for all identified with the land, inasmuch as it must lead to the prompt introduction of available improvements in' the disorganised, extravagant, and wasteful system by which Homeero'wn meat ' was 'at' present distributed. HoVpmtej}. put % atthe' system ,of ing animals in ftb,ft&Q?rs, with refrigerating chambers attached, would enable tfte whole ot the offal to be utilised while fresh, and the result would be an increased realisation of hi to £4 sterling. There next followed a letter from "A London Butcher," who poured out tho most bitter contempt on the enterprise. He referred to what had been written on the subject 03 " stupid twaddle," and said that the remark 'of tfe Agent-general of New Zealand that " no better meat was to be seen in the London market" was absolutely untrue. " When it first comes into the market," he says, " it looks bright and clean, but is as hard as a lump of stone ; when it thaws, it looks as !f it had been drawn through a horse-pond. The London butcher declared that nobody saw anything of this frozen meat, because it was only sold to the poor at a few pence per lb., just as the' offal of the English meat Was sold to the' poor at reduced prices. Referring to Mr Tallerman's suggestion, he says : " The person that writes on cold storage: Js o»ly » .harper on a 1 bankrupt idea that has been proved by its failure to be impossible to be earned out; and again, his, assertion of a loss of £3 to £4 on the killing of every bullock on its offal betrays hia utter ignorance of the whole subject." It was not to be supposed for one moment that the acrid letter of "A London Butcher" would be allowed to go unanswered, and next day " An Importer" and a correspondent signing himself " H. P. J." both replied to it. The latter strenuously denied Wat the frozsn meat went the same way as the offal, and'tho former said that so long as the London butchers chose to give the colonists sid to Gid per lb for what some of thoir class termed "offal, they would bo well pleased. "An Importer" anticipates to get even better pricos for the frozen meat, and addi: "We have made arrangements for five large steamers to be built specially for this particular trade at a cost of over £120,000." " H. P. J." also makes the welcome announcement that "arrangements have been made for the direct disposal of future shipments." This is what is absolutely essential if the consumer is to derive any advantage from the importations, but we are inclined to think that so long as the importers can get from Od to 7d per lb for the carcase they will not trouble themselves to send tho meat into consumption direct. x , . ~ From the foregoing it will be seen that the success of the importatiomof the 5000 carcases by the Bunedin has aroused considerable interest on this side in what is not inaptly termed ■"'ttie frpzen flock," and there can be no doubt that the publicity given to the matter will greatly help'forward the enterprise upon which so many colonists have emWked. No more gratifying news will have reached New since our last than the faot that tho average price paid for the last 2500 carcases put upon the market was GJd perlb, and several of the heavy weights brought as much as 7d, the highest price ever paid for frozen meat. Ihe whole of the shipment has now been entirely disposed of—the last 500 carcases having been placed Pft the market on Saturday morning, 10th June.-^and wp understand that arrangements are being roacto to haye regular shipments from New Zealand to London, It will interest our readers to know that the estancieros of the River Plato have woke up to the importance of the fresh preserved meat trade, and that they mean to run the Australian and Now Zealand squatters very hard in the London market for first place. The company which has just been formed in London, with a capital of £200,000, in shares of £10 each, promises to do great things with Haalam's patent refrigerators, which have already been tested, and satisfactorily, on board ship and in the Australian Colonies. There is a strong directorate, It is inten led that -for the present the operations of the company shall bo restricted to sheep, as they appoar to offer a more certain prospect of satisfactory results.