The Frozen Meat Trade.

Southland Times, Issue 4701, 1 August 1883, Page 3

The Frozen Meat Trade.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, — In order that the frozen meat trade may be as prosperous as possible, it is needful that everything, connected with it be well attended to, and although we may conclude all will be done by those engaged in it in the best manner, I will now finish my remarks by mentioning in tuis letter a few principal points. And the first is, safety of carriage and good condition on arrival in London. The short history of the trade tells of some failures, one of which, a shipment from Australia, was said to be caused by careless handling of the mutton when being shipped. There fortunately have not been any complaints of that kind about mutton sent from New Zealand. Another failure was, that one of the shipments from New Zealand had to be thrown into tne sea, the M^carch, in which it was shipped, having gone to Jara to loud cargo, which, although it may be asserted she might bave done safely, was certainly unnecessarily adding to the risk, and this shows that the prudent course is to send the shipments direct to London. The public accounts of the shipment by the British King, while on the whole satisfactory, inform us that some of the mutton was found to be mildewed, which appears to be the damage it is most liable to, but which no doubt is quite preventable ; and what is needed is that after the sheep are slaughtered the carcases be allowed to b» in the b°st selling condition, and then frozen with all their bloom upon thenij or, asthe Yankees would call it, "fixed," and to remain fixed till ready to be sold in London. I may pay I think there is a degree of cold which is the best, and no variation of temperature should be allowed, and a strict watch kept on the thermometer during the voyage, and the engine kept moving accordingly. The next point is to make the most of erery thing about the sheep, as the groat number required to complete a shipment gives facilities of turning products to account which ordinarily cannot be done. For example, the blood can be led into receivers and at least dried for manure, and as it is, when dry, richer in nitrogen than the best Peruvian guano, a shipment of 12,000 or 18,000 carcases ought to produce a good deal of it. The last point is, economy. An Australian company told us lately that the expense of their shipments had been 3fd per lb, but when we consider that a cost of 2£d per lb is equal to L 23 6s 8d per ton, it ought to pay every expense and give a good remuneration to.all connected with it; and as the best of the mutton by the British King has been sold at 7£d per lb, that cost leaver 5d per lb in New Zealand for it, and if the value of the products referred to equal altogether Id per lb on the weight of the frozen mutton, which they on the average should do, it will leave 6d per lb for the mutton, which should be very satisfactory to t^g^ senders, I notice thit, contemporaneoqßly with the beginning oi the f roaen meat trade, the freights of steamers, which a few years.ago were about double those of sailing ships, are now reduced to the same rate, which tends to red»'^. c Q expense 6£ transport to Lotion.— fara, &c. Colonist.: