FROZEN MEAT TRADE. (Per Press Association.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2058, 3 August 1893, Page 8

FROZEN MEAT TRADE. (Per Press Association.)

London, July 28.

Mr J. H. Geddes, manager of the Pastoral and Financial Association of New South Wales, has returned after making exhaustive reaearohes as to the prospects of extending the range of the Australian export trade on the Continent, especially with regard to the frozen meat business. He states, that Herr Engelhardt, Commissarygeneral in Berlin, evinced great interest in the matter. Hamburg and Bremen were ■visited,- and arrangements made to form a German company to develop the Australian produce trade. The army officials in Brussels are favourably disposed towards the trade, and ask that samples of the meat be sent to them. The Minister for War in Francß welcomed him in a moat courteous manner. Mr Geddes had a long interview with General de Bambre, president of the special commission for provisioning the French Army, and states that the interview will likely lead to a French company opening in Australia to execute extensive army contracts in meat. Mr Geddes advocates accredited Government representatives being appointed to all the European capitals, to afford information on the products of the colonies. He is arranging with the London Dock Company to erect refrigeiating stores in the vicinity of the msat market.

A private letter just received by the Hon. W. P. Reeves from Lord Onslow contains some highly interesting remarks on the question of New Zealand frozen meat. The correspondent of the Lyttelton Times is allowedto make the following, .extracts :—" I think you'^may^ be interested 'in some evidence whioh was given before a Select , Committee of the House of Lords on the marking of meat, of whioh I am chairman, by. Major Stacpoole, who is entrusted with" the duty of the supervising of all meat contracts to the aimy.^ I think the readers of the Lyttelton Times -may be interested to hear of it. Major Stacpoole told us that at the present time 60 per cent, of both beef and mutton was imported, and 40 percent, home killed ; that at one time there was great prejudice in the minds both of Tommy Atkins and of the officers against imported meat, but that had gradually worn off, and now they preferred the imported, and looked out for the days on which it would be given. Major Staopoole is anxious to have a free hand in making contracts, so as to have nothing but imported meat. Frozen beef from Queensland ho would eliminate altogether, as also all imported mutton except New Zealand. He prefers the chilled beef from America; He declared that carefully selected New Zealand mutton was bettor than the best Welsh. He is strongly in favour of matking, on the ground that it is necessary to educate the Butish public as to the relative , qualities of meat from different parts qf the world. , He says that fraud in the retail meat trade is very extensive; that the West End shops without exception have exposed for sale large quantities of imported meat, but that in almost every instance where he has made inquiries they profess to sell nothing but English. He denies that the imported meat finds its 1 way in large quantities to the poorer consumers in the East End, and in the large cities, he says, it is too good for the butchers to sell in that way ; but that the principal supply for this purpose is that of old cow beef and bull beef, which can be sold at very low prices, and is designated as imported."

A Press Association telegram from Auckland pays:— Thenewmethodfor marking New Zealand frozen meat sent Home to the London market, jinvented by Mr Caverhill, of the Auckland Freezing Company, js pxceljent. The marking is" very simple, ans yet promises to be very effective in preventing the Belling of meat under false representation in the Home market. Each joint is stamped with the letters " N.Z.," and 'freezing fixes' the iinpressidn, so that the only jvay of removing the same is by cutting the piece out, which would of course disfigure the carcase. The value of the invention naturally depends in a great measure on the bill' now being discussed in Great Britain dealing with the whole question. /