THE LORDS ON FROZEN MEAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1602, 5 August 1882, Page 8

THE LORDS ON FROZEN MEAT.

Even so august an assembly as the House of Peers does not consider the frozen meat question quite beneath its notice, as witness the following brief debate :—: — Lord Lamingfcon, in calling attention to this subject, observed that with good seasons and fair play the Home produce could compete with the Colonial, but it was necessary that both the producer and the consumer should be fairly treated . The House was probably aware that within the last few days 5000 frozon sheep had arrived in England from New Zealand, and it appeared from the report of the market that this meat could be sold at 6d or 7d per lb, at which price it would do no harm to the English grower. The consumer ought, of course, to be able to buy the cheaper meat if he wished it, but it was not at all clear that he was allowed to do so. A correspondent of The Times wrote as follows :— "Despairing householders are asking when they are to get the benefit of such consignments as recently arrived from New Zealand. Ia there a single consumer who bought a joint of one of the 5000 frozen sheep so successfully imported who was charged less than 100 per cent, on the transaction, and honestly told what he was buying? No London butcher sells American meat, and no London butcher sold one of the 5000 frozen sheep brought from New Zealand. This fact the public will learn for themselves if they make the round of the shops and inquire. ' No, ma'am, we don't keep it : only the beat English meat. 1 This is the universal story, but, somehow, people do not believe it." That morning ho had received an interesting letter from a correspondent, who said he had observed with great satisfaction that notice had been given of this question and continued :: — • "The importance of your question to the middle and poor classes is but little realised by politicians, andalsobythomajority of voters, who .are too supine to make any demonstration that would impress the Government with the importance of this question. It is a great hardship to small purchasers that retail dealers can, in the most open manner, sell meat imported from America, Australia, &c. (for which they pay a very small price) as and at the same prices as are asked for prime English and Scotch meat, the beef being dressed in America to resemble Scotch meat, and who invariably reply, when asked tho question, ' Are you sure this is not American meat ?' 'No, t would not keep such a thing in my shop ;' as well as being very insolent, and often refusing to serve one again. This makes it especially hard, as it often happens that there is not another shop near. My lord, this is a matter that concerns very much the middle and working classes. ' „,,,, He hoped that this trade would be developed ; at the sanio time, he trusted that fair play would be given to the English producer. On the principle that we prevented the sale of adulterated butter as genuine butter, so wo might compel American meat to be sold as such, and thus save to the working classes an average of perhaps 2d per lb, while doing an act of justice to the Home producer. The noble lord concluded by asking whether "the attention of her Majesty's Government has been called to the recent importations of frozen sheep from New Zealand ; and whether, in the interest of the British producer and consumer, it may not be desirable to introduce a bill to compel the retail dealers to specify the description of meat they aro selling, and imposing heavy penalties on any person who sells imported meat as Home produce." Lord Sudeley, in reply, said : I am sorry that I am unable to follow the noblo lord in his interesting statement with any information on the subject. The Board of Trade have no official knowledge of the recent importation of frozen meat from New Zealand, though their attention has been called to it by tho announcement in the newspapers. The Government do not, as at present advised, think it necessary or advisable to introduce a bill to compel retail dealers to specify the description of meat they are selling, and imposing heavy penalties on any persons who sell imported meat as Home The Duke of Rutland thanked the noble lord who had brought this subject forward, and who had received an unsatisfactory answer. English agriculture was in a depressed, not to say an alarming condition, and anything likely to henefit the agricultural classes and to enable them to meet the competition to which they were exposed ought to be worth the serious attention of her Majesty's Government.