The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1883. AUCKLAND’S EXPERIMENT OF MEAT FREEZING.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1096, 8 October 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1883. AUCKLAND’S EXPERIMENT OF MEAT FREEZING.

The Mataura’s cargo of frozen meal found its way to the soapboilers. What it will be used for is not clear. Probably it will be used in some way for the manufacture of scented soap. As a purifier of soap or as a means of intensifying the aroma, no doubt frozen meat in a decomposed slate has many advantages. We presume so, or soap boilers would not buy it. But whatever useful part in the production of Brown Windsor, Castile, Glycerine, or other choice brands, the Auckland mutton is destined to play it is matter for regret to record the failure of the first shipment from the northern capital. The Mataurn’s cargo consisted of carcases mutton, 44 part, carcases veal (481,813 lbs), £12,045; 591 backs mutton (20,202 lbs), £505; 51 brace pheasants, 6 quarters beef, 2 packages assorted meats (1,110 lbs), £27; 21 packages fish (1936 lbs), £4O. The total; £12,617, forms a very serious loss, on whomever it falls, shippers or insurance company. We had become so used to hearing of the successful sale of frozen moat from New Zealand that a reverse, was not anticipated. It has come, however, and the lesson it teaches should not be thrown away. According to a telegram from the manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company the fault was noton bbard,ship. He says “ the refrigerator worked satisfactorily during the Voyage, and that the refrigerating chamber has been examined and found in perfect condition, and that proper temperature was maintained during the voyage. Experts are of opinion that the loss arose from the condition prior to shipment, the carcases being insufficiently cooled.” A day or two ago the Chronicle mentioned that a totally different opinion had been expressed by a pretty good authority in the Colony, and that “no doubt more will be heard on the subject before long.” Now if the “good authority” is in possession of information that would throw any light upon the cause of the failure the Mataurn’s cargo, he should in the interests of the Colony at large give that information without delay. The shipment of frozen ►meat is still going on at the principal ports, and mistakes may be made which a few words from the gentleman alluded to by the Chronicle might be the means of averting. In our humble opinion, formed after enquiry among farmers here, the London experts are in the Ho-bt No fault-was to be found with - ihe ship "Or urc maemnery -mt—that appears certain. She had carried a cargo previously with success, and an examination on this occasion showed that everything had been working satisfactorily on the voyage. The cause of the failure, therefore, must be sought before shipment. Enquiry will probably show that the stock was overheated through having travelled a long distance, some of it having been sent from Waitara and some from Waikato. The risk of over-heating and subsequent decay will always attend meat frozen under above circumstances and farmers upon this Coast should be thankful that a freezing company is about to be established at their doors, so to speak. When the works are in operation, there will be no necessity to send their stock to Wellington, by road or mil, to their manifest detriment. Instead, sheep and cattle can be driven in here quietly and allowed to graze in the ample paddocks of the Company until they are fit for . the process of refrigeration, Were it not for the West Const Company we should fear a repetition of the accident in connection with Wellington shipments, in which farmers on this Coast might be largely interested. With the services of the local company at command, settlers need have no apprehension that, unless through unforseen accident; their meat will ever be used for soap boiling purposes. The failure of the Auckland experiment is a powerful argument in favour of the West Const Company and the consequent avoiding of risk through having to drive stock long distances previous to freezing.