NEW ZEALAND MEAT IN A NEW LIGHT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2251, 22 April 1897, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND MEAT IN A NEW LIGHT.

••A GIGANTIC FRAUD."

(Fkom Our Own Correspondent.) London, March 5.

Some very interesting articles on the agriculture of New. Zealand are now being published in the Scotsm-in. They are understood to be written by the editor (Mr Cooper), as a result of his recant visit to New Zealand. Describing his visit to one of the New Zealand meat freezing works, aud tha freezing process employed, he saje : " That the mutton thus treated is the best of mutton I can vouch. No Scottish mutton i» or could ba better. I am speaking of the mutton frczen by tho Wellington Moat Exportiag Company ; but there is no reason to donbb that the mutton (rented by other establishments is equally good. Yet there is a flight ground for the objection some people have to it. Tho freezing coDgeals the natural juices of the meat, and wh«n the carcases are thawed for the mirkeb. some of these juices flow away When all allowance has bsen made for this, the f?ct remains thst the nutritive qualities of the meat are litble leesen'd, and bet er meat csu'.d scarcely be desired by the moat fastidious. I am informed that at the present time the wholesale dealers at Home will not pay more than 2%A a pound for the meat. If they were content with & moderate profit, the meat could ba sOxd ab from 3d tj 4d a pound lees (haa the price commonly charged for it. What this would mean to thousands of families I need not say. Now this is all very well so far as it goes. But unfortunately the North British Agriculturist on perusing it, discovered a latent meaning of a highly sinister character. Ib points oub that the best frczen mutton from New Zealand is sold in the mother couutry as home-fed meat and so bought at a high price, "the unwary purchaser" being "defrauded into believing that ib is home meat, fed on the rich pastures or on tho juicy roots grown on the arable lands iv Grca'. Britain." He nexb refers to " the startling report of the House of Lords,' which shows "the numerous extent to which this fraud is carried on." It then proceeds to say : " Each successive Government hag been slower than another in the matter of taking ways and ineun to pub an end to this gigantic fraud. It seems cleav enough, ateo, that the Governments of New Zealand aud other countries interested in the frozen meat trade have connived at the fraud also. Had these Governments set principle before interest, or had it served their interests to do bo, they would have speedily 'started retailing establishments in the great centres of population for the sale of that foreign meat under its proper name, or they could have had each carcase so branded that if would have been at once recogDiied as toreign meat. Bub they have made no move iv either of these directions, and therefore they may be held as having connived atthe carrying on of this colcssal fraud." The article concludes as follows : — " There are some producers in this country who fear thnt if foreign meat were sold in this country under its proper name, and at its proper value, it might prejudicially affect tho price of Home meat, because if the British consumer found that this foreign meat was nearly as good as Home meat, and could be got at Id or 2d per Ib cheaper, he would naturally prefer the cheaper foreign meat. This objection, most certainly, would not apply to frozen meat, for the wasting away of • the natural juices of the meat' necessarily affects the flavour and nutritive value of the meat. Besides, the very few exporting companies which have estftb-

lished depots for the sale of foreign meat under iti proper name have not been particularly successful financially, as the consumers found that this meat was not of the same quality as the best Home meat, and the well-to-do Britisher — even the well-to-do working man — wants to have the beat of meat, and he is willing to pay a good price for it if he gtts it good enough. In any ess?, the ritk above referred to is one which the great majority of Home producers are very willing to face, so that the best Home meat may command its own price, and the cheap frozen meat from the Australasian colonies or from fore gn countries may be sold under its proper name and at iti own price. As a matter of jus 1 ice, *his colossal fraud of selliog foreign meat as Home meat should be put down with a firm hand."

The Agent-general, regarding this accusation against the New Zealand Government of being parties to "a gigantic fraud" in th'i light of a very unwarrantable attack on the honour and credit of the colony, as well as of the Government, has written to the North British Agriculturist explaining what extensive and elaborate steps had been talen by him and by the Government to counteract any such attempts at iraud. Mr Reeves at the game time forwarded specimens of the various pamphlets &c , issued on behalf of the New Zealand Government for the express purpose of rendericg such frauds, to far as possible, impracticable.