"Prime Canterbury." TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2255, 20 May 1897, Page 15

"Prime Canterbury." TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — The leading article in the Christchurch Press of Wednesday, on the above subject, is even more absurd than the previous one. The gist of ib is coDtained in the following sentence: — " Ib is admitted that Canterbury mutton fetches -.kl a pound more than the Ofcagc-grown article, and the cable of complaint on which we founded our original article shows clearly enough that the London buyer in jmyiDg for Canterbury mutton expects to gefc mutton from this province and not from Ofcago.". . I cannot believe that the London buyer cares where the mutton comes from so loDg as it is of the best quality. . This, however, is not the main, point. If the writer ia the Press knows anything about the trade (whioh appears very doubtful) he must be aware that of lats years tens of thousands of Southland-grown and fattened sheep have been railed to Christohurch, sold, killed, and frozen there, and exported as " Prime Canterbury." This is a fact that can easily be verified, and it makes the highly moral remarks in the Press — as to " dishonest salemen," "false branding," &c, &c. — sufficiently ridiculous. As a matter of opinion, most men ia the trade will agree that the Southland sheep are even better for freezing purposes than those from Canterbury. What is really needed is that the freezing companies of the South Island should combine to D&y an inspector to visit each freezing

establishment . in turn, grading and branding £ the carcases as "South Island firsts" and 1 "South Island seconds." The North Island J companies should have a similar arrangement ' for themselves, because not only, could no one j man inspect; tae freezing works over the whole of New Zealand, but also it is generally t admitted that there is a difference in the quality of the meat between the two islands, 8 and that this difference, owing to climatic c reasons, is ia favour of the south. " The whole subject should be seriously con- } Bidered by the various agricultural and pastoral , societies and by the chambers of commerce. Statistics as to the proportion of the sheep shipped from Canterbury that hove been either s ' brod or fed in that province would be particu- t lsrly interesting and instructive. — I am, &c, E ' Dunedin, May 13. M. i | \