FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY.

Southland Times, Issue 14378, 26 March 1910, Page 5

FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY.

WHO EATS IT?

A young colonial, who has just returned from Great Britain, has been telling his friends of his failure to ascertain who eats New Zealand frozen meat. When he arrived in London he, like many other New Zealanders, was more than a little proud of the part played by his country in providing food for the millions of the Motherland. He never doubted that his new acquaintances and friends would recognise gladly the Connection between the smiling plains of Canterbury and the laden tables of English homes, and at the first convenient opportunity he asked an hospitable house wife whether she used frozen meat. “It seemed that she would have felt as little flattered had I asked her whether she ate margarine.’’ he writes. “After a few days I learned that one must be very careful about mentioning frozen meat to English people of the better classes. In a London club I was informed that 'no doubt come people used frozen meat,’ In a tone which suggested that some people would do all sorts of odd things. My hostess in a country house said that she had heard that New Zealand meat was excellent, but that her servants had objected to eating it. The subject suggested Chicago to her, and she expressed the hope that the 'meat people’ had improved their methods. I choked down rny explanations. My confidence was shaken a little when I searched out some cheap markets and found the prime Canterbury label attached to joints which I hoped devoutly had come from the Argentine. I did not feel happy about the matter until I had taken an opportunity to visit Smithtield, and had seen splendid New Zealand mutton, apparently in prime condition, on its way to some unknown consumers. A few weeks later I did find a family who used New Zealand mutton, and were not ashamed of it. They said that they had no desire at all to replace it by Homekilled meat.” The experience of this New Zealander is not an uncommon one, and it recalls a story told by one of the merchants who conducts a wholesale business in New Zealand meat in London. He changed his place of residence, ami consequently became a customer of the local butcher, to whom lie - .sent an order for a quarter of “Prime Canterbury” lamb. The butcher replied that ho dealt only in English meat, anil could not undertake to deliver any inferior quality. lie hud quite overlooked the. tact that the man to whom lie was writing was the merchant who supplied his weekly order for New Zealand meat.