FARM AND STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 14

FARM AND STATION.

(Continued from page ■ 7.)

FROZEN MEAT TRADE IN LONDON.

The following extract from a private letter, dated London, February r^jfdceivea by Mr Stead is published by x the Christchurch Press : " Yesterday I spent two hours with Sir Edwyn Dawee and Tom Mackenzie. The latter hae been following up tho frozen meat question very closely, and is "fully confirming the astounding manner in which the Smithfield salesmen are robbing the insurance companies. It has only been by showing the most extreme independence and determination that Mackenzie has got at the bottom of the whole thing, and I am hoping next week to set to work to try and get the insurance companies to take some steps to prevent themsolres being robbed as they are at present. Unfortunately, they do not appear to care in the least about it, and- simply replied that they are not going to interfere with trade customß," and if tbe business at- the present rates of premium does not pay them they must' simply raise the rates. Over and over again where Mackenzie has had claims for damage, when he. has insisted upon having the sheep., produced'-and. the damage pointed- outrt'o him the,: damage .claims have been abandoned. Of'courße it "is' an extremely difficult thing to get any gentleman here to stand- up -to the buyers in this way, because he ia likely to be boycotted afterwards. The buyers say that it is no business of his, and if they can get an allowance of 6d or Is per stono out of the insurance companies he has no right to interfere. From conversation I have had with I think they are inclined to take'the same view as the salesmen. The venerable fossils who run the marine insurance companies appear to be utterly devoid of inteljigence co far as this frozen meat business ia concerned. They employ aa a surveyor an old sea captain, aided by one of the Smithfield salesmen, to assess the damage, and of course the captain ia utterly in the salesmen's hands in estimating the amount of the allowance to -be made. As the salesman who is assessing 'As stuff to-day will be having his own. stiiff assessed by 'A' to-morrow, you can easily see what swindling will go on. When Mackenzie got an independent expert up at Smithfield, the salesmen at first utterly refused to meet him, and his suggestion now ia that theNnsurance companies should combine, and put on a retired moat salesman at a good salary to assess on behalf of the insurance companies, giving iim fair warning that if he was found favouring the salesmen improperly ho would at once lose his billet. It -is deplorable that' these insur--<ance companies should treat this matter in the manner they nr« doing."