KEW ZEALAND MEAT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13269, 28 April 1905, Page 2

KEW ZEALAND MEAT.

ITS EXTENDED USE AND i'KOSPIiCTS.

(Fp.oji Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, March 25. In the course of a conversation which I had yesterday with Mr (J. D. Greenwood, w'lio acts as a board of advice on this side of the world to the British-Nmv Zealand Meat Company, lie mentioned to mo that his company and the New Zealand meat trado generally had just had what he regarded as a stroke of good luck in securiug an important contract for llm supply of five leading asylums. "My company, as yon doubtless know," said Mr (ireenwcod, "was formed when Mr Seddons scheme fov establishing retail moat shops in this country fpll through. It has now been at work for nine months, and has carried out the function of the retan distribution of New Zealand meat with much sncces'. I have herni acting for somo time as llm board of advice in England. aiid I shall continue to iict until my departure for New Zealand in August, next." It certainly war. very fortunate that you should have 'secured that contract just now after Mr Oamejyin's exposure of that fraud 011 the Colncy Hatch and Banstead Asylums. "Yes," said Mr Greenwood, "and it wil! Rive tho authorities, an opportunity of realising how excellent the quality of New Zealand meat—mutton and lamb—really is. Of course it means a good tiling for (lie company too, because these big asylums will take a very large quantity both of mutton and lamb. We are now going to tender for meat supplies for the War Office. There is, of course, a great advantage lo the shareholders in our being thus able to sell the meat nliead linforo arrival. and it will enable us to pay a better dividend than wo oould if the meat were sent to tho London market to take its chance." _ What do you think of the present position and _ prospects of New Zealand meat on Mi is side?" " Of course," said Mr Greenwood, " it is still boins:, largely, sold as best British meat. But that is really not our business; that rests with tho consciences of the middlemen and retailors. We have nothing to_ do with any sale on false pretences. simply sell the -meat for what it is worth, and got the money. Whatever deception there may be occurs afterward, and quite. ftntsidc our sphere of control. 35ntvylint- I do complain of, and what every New Zculander ought to protest strenuously against,- is tho persistence with which inferior meat from Australia or South America is pajmcd off on the British consumer as genuine New Zealand meat. That is'a rank end utterly indefensible fraud." Do you find mueh of this sort of thing going on? Have you come across many instances of it? "Only a fowdays ago," replied Mr Greenwood, " I was in a butcher's rshop in Cnolsea where several carcases of what professed to: ho New Zealand meat were hanging up. It.did not- look at nil good, -and I spoke to the salesman about it.. He assured me it was -genuine Now Zealand. Aiyl 'best Canterbury' at that. 'I remarked to' him that if so it nurt be, very stale. He-said, 'No. it v.'fi? the npw sensqn'smeat; prime Canterbury brand.' '"But what' brand?'- I asked." Ho hesitaied. I then named several well-known meat export companies in succession. No, he admitted

—...... ■ , < / that tho label was none of those. '.At last !L got him to 6how. mo tho marks, which T . promptly recognised as having- no • connection whatever with Canterbury, and as : representing an utterly inferior class of meat. The best-looking of the carcases did certainly bear tho' brand of a company in another part of Now Zealand; tho others wero low-class Australian or' Argentine." " Then, further," continued Mr Greenwood, "I find that many people,' after tasting New Zealand meat, and liking it, go to certain well-known shops which profess' to sell it—and' don't! (Hero ho men* tioncd a name which I had better omit). Consequently tiioy bfcqnio disappointed, and often aro lost as consumers. I was verv glad indeed that Mr Cameron pressed that' case so hard, and that a conviction was obtained, I should like to sec him do a loti mora in tho samo direction. The mora securing of a single convictjqn liko that- is worth all tho money- the colony pays him, and tho moro he can do in tho same way the better. I wish most earnestly that sopia satisfactory system could bo discovered of marking tiio .carcases, hut at present thero seems no sign of that. If wo onco could maka it o'.ear and indisputable that the good meat came from New Zealand and that the inferior meat sold as of Now origin never caiiio fro*m that colony at all, iti would he an imnienso pull in our- favour.But tor that we evidently must bo content' to wait,' 1