THE BACON INDUSTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 5

THE BACON INDUSTRY.

' About six years ago Mr A. Vecht, represent ! ing the Intermarine Supply Company, introduced into Now Zealand a new process of curing bacon and hams, which is now bo well known as the " Morepork " cure. The idea of the company was to establish an export trade with Europe, and the Australasian rights

most the whole,of New Zealand, with a view to encouraging. dairy farmers to go in for pigs. bo as io provide a supply for export purposes, but as they were not then properly stocked with daily cattle and went in rtfiher for rearing calves than pigs upon the skim milk, his mission at the time was more or less abortive. Ho opened a factory at^ Waitara, Taranaki, but the supply of pigs was not adequate, and attention was therefore devoted to Canterbury, where more pigs were available. The Christchurch Meat Company, with a view to building up a local and colonial trade in mild cured bacon and hams, secured the^services of the staff of Mr Vecht. - After a stay of about two years, Mr Vecht av as "induced by some large farmers in Victoria to go over there, and after procuring concessions from the Christchurch Meat Company for Victoria, his company opened a factory at Lillydale. This establishment has been most successful from its inception. After working there for some lime, he was invited by the New South Wales Government to open a bacon-curing factory ft. Sydney, where anyone could pass their pigs through and have them cured. He could not, however, see his way to accede to the Government's request, but he made arrangements with the Christchurch Meat Company, by securing the rights of the cure for New South Wales, to start a factory. This factory is situated at Bomaderry, in the Nowra district, on the south coast, the principal dairying district in New South Wales, and a packing and finishing establishment, has been opened at Pyrmont, Sydney.

Mr Vecht arrived from Sydney on Friday on a visit to Christchurch, and to one of our representatives he gave some interesting information regarding the developments of the bacon industry in the colonies :—": — " The factory we opened in New South Wales," he said, " has had to be doubled in -its capacity, and now furthe enlargement is being effected to enable us to deal with 2000 pigs per week. The extension of the trade with Western Australia and South Africa, in' addition to the local, demand, has overtaken the supply of pigs available in New.Soutlj 'Wales, and I have come over here "with. a view of securing concessions from the Christchurch Meat Company to enable us to start a large factory at Brisbane, iiv -Queensland, The mild cured bacon and hams have ' caught on '- in the semi-tro-pical .countries beyond expectations. The Americans at the Philippines finding that tho American bacon did not keep in the humid climate of the islands, have placed their orders with my company, and their requirements are 40 ton 6 per each fortnightly sler.iner, or, in other words, 1000 pigs per week.

" I find that since my former visit to New Zealand the pig-raising industry has made great strides in the North Island. The breed of pigs has been improved by the use of purebred sires from the herds of Tfessrs Rowe. Rhodes, and other breeders in Canterbury, and since Canterbury has found the fat lamb trade

the more profitable, the North Island must be looked to in the future as chief pig-raising portion of this colony. I also expect to find, too, that in the dairying districts of Otago and Southland more attention will be paid in 1 the future to pig-raising. We find that milk-fed pigs, being more succulent and juicy in their flesh, lend themselves better to our process of curing than those fed on grain and other hard food. I expect to find in a short time that pigs will be cheaper than they are at present, but they will always command a price that will make them exceedingly profitable to the dairy farmer." — Christchurch Press.

MILK CHEQUES. September £29 6 3 October .. „. .. 36 10 4 November „ „, im . 38 0 0 December m -,«■ .. 39 19 2 January :.,. .. 36 0 0 February c ».. •.. 28 0 0 March ,„ .... •.. 26 0 4 April .., „ .. 22 19 6 May .* ■«., r . „ 18 13 0 June „ eg »^ v. 20 9 2 July ... .« M „ 23 0 0 , JE3IB 17 9 Sheep gTazed ra i.*- ... .. 35 16 10 Pigs .. «, i... w. .. 22 18 6 Calves .. ..-. **■ se.i ».« 26 0 0 Cows sold .. tru *.} «.' ■..■ 6 0 0 Horses .. .. a^ m- „ 16 0 0 Potatoes .. .. •« ,„ ib 10 0 0 Bent for Paddock »*< ** « 12 0 0 £446 13 1