FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10722, 10 February 1897, Page 4

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

TO THE EDITOE.: Sdb,—Surely Ofc»£o settlers are letting their' frazen meat trade drifc away. This week 70,000 carcases are being'shipped from Canterbury, whilst there is literary nothing doing in Ofcsgo. Most of the fst "lambs .from North'-. Ofcago are being slaughtered in Canterbury, and South Otago will soon have to send freezers ' there alio if no market can be found afc Burnside. The price of Otago mafcton in London 2|d' against Canterbury's 3id points to bad business:somewhere, as the quality of the meat here is just as good as thafc, of tha north. ■ It strikes' me thafc Ofcago men are losing all energy end push. The Burnside freezing works were'the first to be erected in New' Zealand' in 1882, and the -machinery is how old-' fashioned and out of date. The ontpnt from these works has never'increased, whilst theBelfast and Islington works have multiplied their output from hundreds to thousands, and established many industries to use up the'byproducts from the sUughterhouses. The two northern factories employ, directly and ia-: directly, close on a thousand men, aad Canterbury now leads all the New Zealand provinces ' in the number and importance of her industries. - Unless the Ofcago men aia up and doing they will soon see all their freezing' meat business ( absorbed by Canterbury and Southland, especially now Nelson Bros, are about to start ■ a .third large freezing works at Hornby, near Chrisfceburch. Hoping that the New Zealand Freezing Company's directors will awaken from their long sleep before tha whole of: the meat trade leaves them, and endeavour to obtain better prices for their produce,—l am, &c., February 8. Southdowh.