THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7298, 5 June 1895, Page 2

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

A Middlesex gentleman recently wrote to a farmer in Canterbury on the subject of New Zealand meat, and the recipient permitted the following extract to appear in the Lyttelton Times :— '• English people," he says, "have insular prejudices. Nothing can possibly be as good as English goods. This Conservative feeling prevents them from properly appreciating the meat supply from New Zealand and Australia. The color is slightly different, and an experienced hand can tell the difference by the feel. But I make no doubt that much deception is practised, and that many a joint from abroad is sold as English. Speaking for ourselves at home, we should buy the New Zealand usually, if we could get it from a butcher at a fair price ; but we do not care to pay him 2d per lb (or even 3d) more than it is to be had for in London. We are not, ourselves, prejudiced in the least, so far as I know. 1 am not sure, however, whether the New Zealand holds out quite as long as Homegrown. Is your meat more naturally fed than ours, and does that at all tell, either by shrinkage in cooking or by relish in eating ?'.' This bears out to some extent the argument of writers, who attribute the low prices ruling for New Zealand mutton in the Home " market partly to . the action of the Smith'field ring. New Zealand mutton is bought at from 2£d to 3d per lb wholesale, and the retail price charged is Bd. Now, as long as the Sraithfield butchers are so greedy that nothing short of 175 per cent, profit will satisfy, them, it is unlikely that the British public will buy our meat, instead of that grown at Home, for which the English people have a perfectly reasonable preference. If the British consumers were supplied with tender and juicy New Zealand mutton at 2d per lb less than they would have to pay for English, there would be some inducement for them to abandon insular prejudice ; but, as long as they are asked to pay the same rate for colonial meat as for English, there will be no advantage to them in making the change. Englishmen are not so thoroughly blinded by prejudice as to permit their pockets to suffer, and if they could obtain colonial mutton of as good quality as home grown, at a lower price, the prejudice would soon be overcome.

The monthly meeting of the Hospital Trustees will be held this evening at the hospital.

Messrs Lewis and Cowan sell to-morrow at 11.30 at their mart oranges, bananas, turkeys, fowls, produce and anything else offering.

Captain Edwin wired at 9 o'clock this morning :—" North-east to north and west gale, with heavy rain, after ten hours from now; glass fall soon."

Tenders close to-morrow afternoon with Mr W. O. Skeet for breaking up the hull of the schooner Spray, and removing the copper from the vessel's bottom.

Our Auckland correspondent wires that the hearing of argument, in the appeal against the Registrar's (Mr W. A. Barton) decision in the case McNicol v. Wi Pare, has been further adjourned until next Tuesday morning.

The Union s.B. Company's Rotomahana is advertised to leave for Auckland and Sydney on Saturday morning. Very low fares are still ruling.

The Huddart Parker steamer Anglian leaves here Saturday morning, for Auckland. Passengers for Auckland by her can return by the same company's steamer Tasmania leaving there at noon on Tuesday. The very cheap excursion fares introduced by the Huddart Parker line are still being ottered b to the traveling public this trip.

The Rev. S. Peryman, of Eketahuna, had a narrow escape from a serious accident last week. Whilst marking at the rifle range a fragment of a bullet struck him in the corner of his left eye, inflicting a nasty wound, but fortunately missing the sight.

Two rival drapers named Jones and Brook, appeared in the Adelaide Court recently, aud one of them recovered £75 damages for assault. The parties quarrelled while watching a cricket match between their respective employees.

At Bathursb a man named Joseph Young was charged with grievously harming Daniel Brown during a drunken quarrel at Perth, He was discharged. Brown, who is apparently dying of paralysis, declares thab it was his own fault, as he was the aggressor.

In the course of a political address delivered afc Queenstown the other day, Mr W. Fraser, member for Wakatipu, expressed an opinion that no benefit had been experienced from Mr Reeves' labor legislation, and that ib had done more harm than good by accentuating the prevailing depression.

The fall of snow in Southland on Sunday was very heavy, and when the traiu from Lumsden arrived at Winton last Wednesday it presented a very novel appearance, being one moving mass of snow. Between Milton and Lawrence the snowfall was very heavy, and the driver of the coach reported the fall at Roxburgh to be about 18in.

The Gisborne City Band Social which is to be held in the City Rink to-morrow evening, promises to be one of the most successful gatherings of the season. Everything is being done to make a pleasant evening, a programme of» twenty dances having been arranged which will keep the ball rolling till about 2 o'clock. The catering ie iv lihe hands of Mr W. O. Nisbett, and the music is being supplied by the City Band.

Sulphur is invariably recommended as a remedy for vine mildew. Bub M. Louis Sipiere has communicated to the French Academy of Sciences a mode of treatment more economical, less offensive, and more easily used. It is lysol, a preparation of carbolic acid. A solution of 5 parts in 1000 of water — thab is to say, of- 5 grammes of lysol in a litre of water, or 500 grammes in a hectolitre — is most efficacious iv destroying insects, as well as fungus spores, and is much cheaper than the Bordeaux mixture. Throe applications should be made, in the course of the summer, in spriug, and early

summer.

In the Supreme Court, Wellington, last Wednesday, the Chief Justice gave judgment in the action brought to determine the validity of a will of the late James Prisk, of Feildiug, in which the testator deprived his wife of all benefit in his estate. The sum involved was £4000. Under the testator's first will the wife was a beneficiary. Subsequently he displayed symptoms of brain disease, and under the idea that his wife was poisoning him, because she desired to have him placed in an asylum, the testator made a second will revoking the first. His Honor held that it was beyond all question that the testator was suffering from a delusion at the time he made his second will. He, therefore, must pronounce against it, and uphold the original will. The question of costs was reserved.

One of the most enjoyable and successful gatherings that the Wesleyans have had for some time came off lust night as a social, tea, and meeting. The schoolroom behind the Church was prettily decorated, and the tables were especially attractive both with flowers and abundance of good things provided by Mesdames Good, Krsidne, Coster, Spetice, Birch, Oxenham, Harries, Veale, and Chrisp, and being assisted by Misses Oxenham (2), Erskiue, Havers, Chrisp, Sadler, W ilkinson aud others. At 8 o'clock a public meeting was held in the Church, that building being comfortably filled, when an excellent programme was carried out, including addresses of welcome from the Revs. Ryburn aud Wallace, Captain Harvey (Salvation Army), and a letter from Mr Campbell Thompson, who was unable to attend. The Rev. W. L. Salter, in responding, mentioned the great kindness that Mrs Salter and himself had received since their arrival. During the evening several selections were rendered by the choir. Mr of Waimata, presided.

The Holy Trinity Church Sunday Schoolroom was anything but adequate to accommodate the crowd of people who wished to attend the reception tendered to the Bishop of Waiapu on his first official visit to Gisborne, and a few of the late arrivals could uot get into the building at all. The proceedings began by an instrumental duet by the Misses Tattley, which was followed by a song by Mr Hookey, a duet by Mr and Miss Goldsmith, and a song by Miss Ferris. Canon Webb then, in a few well-chosen words, introduced the subject of the gathering, and called upon Canon Fox to speak on behalf of the country districts as their representative, which he did in a short speech. Mr Pettie, the people's churchwarden, read an address which had been prepared on behalf of the vestry as representing the congregation, and His Worship the Mayor was called upon to welcome the Bishop in the name of the citizens; whilst a senior student of the Native college did a similar thing on behalf of the Natives of the district. The Bishop responded, aud spoke of the great gratification it gave him to receive such a warm welcome, and gave some details of the state of some of the remoter parts of the diocese, aud further explained the need and desirability of increasing the diocesan fund. He alao spoke forcibly of the imperative necessity for increased religious instruction for the young. The musical portion of the programme was then resumed, and while refreshments were being served, instrumental pieces were performed by Missßeereand Mr Hookey (junr.), and auother song was contributed by Mr Hookey. A very pleasant eveniDg was brought to a close by singing the doxology, and the pronunciation of the benediction by the Vicar.

The spoils to the victors and their friends meets with an almost everduy endorsement in New Zealand politics. . Not long ago a number of lessees of runs made application to a Laud Board for a reduction of rents, and the Board recommended all the applications to the favorable consideration of the Minister. The Minister made the reduction in every case but one, and in that cass the lessee was a son of a strong opponent of the Minister. It is of course impossible to say that this fact influenced the decision of the Miuister, bub it is a strange thiog that, the Land Board recommended all the cases for a a reduction, and the Minister only refused, to agree to that of his political enemy. There are, we are aware, many who think this kind of thing quite fair, but we should not like to reflect on the honesty and fairness of the people of New Zealand by saying they are in a majority.— North Otago Times.

The Department of Labor chanced upon a joker the other day. When the Women's Bureau was started a circular was sent out to householders apprising them ot the fact that a register of unemployed women had been started, and that those in quest of domestic help or willing hands for officecleaning aud such other work as usually fallß to the lot of the gentler sex might be suited at the Bureau. One of these missives fell into the hands of the wag in question, and he promptly returned it with the following memo, inscribed on a turned-up corner : — " We are not taking any office-cleaving just now, thank you. But if you happen to have anything going in the artistic line, I'm your Moses." Accompanying these lines was a pen and ink sketch representing the artist in' an attitude of ease, with a palette and mahlstick in his hand and a pot of paint at his feet.— N. Z. Times.

The Wellington Post says :— Attention has frequently been called in our columns to the dangerous condition in which poisons are often shipped to the colony from Home. A striking instance of this was visible on the Queen's Wharf on Monday. The ship Earnock brought out amongst her cargo a hundred kegs of arsenic for transhipment to Wauganui. These were discharged, and the wharf and shed floor wereplentifully sprinkled with the poisonous dust which fell in a cloud from the kegs if shaken or roughly handled. What may have been stowed under these kegs in the ship's hold, or over what other goods they might be placed in transit to Wanganui or beyond it, we are, of course, unable to say. Fortunately, however, the attention of the Customs authorities has been drawn to the matter, and 110 doubt the kegs of poison will have to be made contentsproof before they are allowed to be removed. The danger of poison becoming mixed with food products when it is shipped so carelessly packed is very great, aud shipowners would do well to refuse all cargo of the kind not securely packed ip proper packages,;