BACON INDUSTRY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16211, 8 December 1926, Page 11

BACON INDUSTRY

A GISBORNE ENTERPRISE

Thanks to the enterprise of a number of business people in Gisborne a new bacon company is operating in new and up-to-date premises, and farmers are assured of a steady market for their pigs, at tho highest possible prices. The public also will benefit, for by the end of this week the first of the bacon will bo sold in the shops in Gisborne at attractive prices. The factory is situated in Grey street in premises that were formerly used* as a garage, and the large airy rooms have now been made ideal for the handling of the pigs. Everything has been so arranged to provide for working under conditions that preclude the possibility of anything but a first-class- product being turned out, it is* claimed. METHOD OF WORKING

The factory will deal with 150 pigs a week, and can at any time be easily enlarged. It is intended later to develop the small goods side of the business, but only a wholesale business will be conducted. Tho chain system is adopted in the works and the pigs, which are killed at the abattoirs, after being weighed, gravitate through the different rooms, and undergo the various processes necessary for tho manufacture of high quality bacon. The first operation consists of singeing the pig in order that the rind will not bevtoo thickj this operation being done by means of a gas pipe through which the gas is blown under air pressure. The heads are then removed and the pigs go.into tho cooling chamber for a night. The next day they are boned for rolling, this process being carried out in rooms covered by flyproof gauze. Following on this they are cured -in brine for a short period and are then dry cured for three weeks: After being cured they are soaked, and smoked in a two-storied smoke house. ELECTRIC PLANT

The whole of the modern plant' is driven by electricity. An interesting item in the plant is a largo tank between the cooling rooms. This is filled with calcium chlorido and at night keeps the rooms perfectly cool, without any attention being given by the staff. The smoke house is lireproof, being built of brick, with iron doors, and, being twostoried, will allow many pigs to bo handled at the one time. _ Later it is hoped to export quantities of pork to England,'and in this way.the company expects to bo able to continue paying good prices even after the usual Chrstmas demand has been satisfied. The addition of a small goods plant will allow the company to make good use of all its byproducts and thus ensure farmers getting the maximum return for their pigs. "