OUR FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 71, 1 April 1913, Page 7

OUR FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

REPLY TO MR. FITTER’S REMARKS BY MR LYSNAR.

(.Wellington Post, March 30.)

“it is questionable whether wc should ignore ’Mr Fitter’s remarks or take notipfl.jof them,” said Mr W. D. Lysnar, of Oishrtriie, to a Post reportqi 1 , w hen asked whether 1 , he had anything to say in reference to Mr Fitter’s statement.

■ “But,” lie continued, “as the New Zealand producers are making an earnest effort to educate the producers of the Dominionas ,to the true state of affairs at Homo, it is pethaps advisable that something should he said in reply. Mr Fitter says that the people of New Zealand overestimate the value of Improving the dressing and appearance of meat, and that they also attach too much importance to the present handling ,of the meat consigned toj-zondoip. alid that all this if improved. iVotild not add to the cash .value of the producer.

t/T|lOH,-.ho, continues: ‘ln England we think much more of the quality of the meat than its appearance, because after-all it is the meat we want, and we want if to eat—not to look at.” Mr Fitter is, of course, entitled to Ids opinion, and, as he.savs his house was founded as far back at 1856, it is onl\ natural that his whole thought and mind would he saturated with the London surroundings, which he really believes are ideal I—so, 1 —so, much so- that he actually says, no matter, how we improve matters, the carcases would not he worth one-sixteenth of a penny a pound more in value. I suggest that we should allow Mr Fitter to hold whiif,opinion he likes, hut that We aic entitled to ours. While we have to do tW paying we naturally desire to examine the position more closely than Mr Fitter suggests is necessary.

BUCK EX SHANKS. “In November last 1 visited a New Zealand stall at the Sinithfield market. I .was accompanied by the Hon. Tims. Mackenzie, and at the latter’s request the broken shanks in that stall were tallied up. It was found that they represented 20 per cent, of the meat in the stall under notice, and the salesman acknowledged that this might be regarded as a fair average in respect of all New Zealand meat. Some of the carcases aoc only had broken,,j shanks, but broken legs. If we stop this 20 per cent, of broken shanks it alone would uld more than the, sixteenth of a opnny pe,r lb statecj, b’yy Mr hitter. “Againj it takes £OO men to,unload Now Zealand frozen H produce from three holds of a ship at'-Lbudo'ii, wbilp it takes 1o handle it at Bristol..,J Ao ship .could be unloaded in half 'thpntime at the latton place-, tliis ’felVinJ? again' wofild 'alone wipe out -.letter’s AS GOOD AS THE BEST. 1

“Impartial experts at Home will acknowledge that our New Zealand mutton is as if not fetter, than Scotch. Yet, according to tlie London meat firm’s charts in 1909 wholesale ‘Smithlield - price'of Scotch "mutton wap quoted 7:»d, while Neu’ Zealand, was, dnivii behW/3d. 1i]3191.Q Scotch mutton was BJd per lb, and New Zealand’ 3£d 'per Un ! 1 Tlri 1911 Scotch mutton averaged 6-Jd, and New Zealand ; 4-,d'per lb. 'v. l !.! " “We are aiVare'thht a. very large proportion of New Zealand meat is sold for the sprpe price retail as the best English. This,(bping so should we not strive to get-a 'bigger share of its real value than we to-day enjoy ? Will Mr Fitter say that in the large number of retail butchers’ shops that are run by various relatives of his in and about London that they do not sometimes get English prices for New Zealand meat?. “Of course, I know that it is impossible to get Mr Fitter to realise the fact that by us producers getting our produce into hands with London surrounding that it is possible to, if not wholly, close up this gap, to at least substantially do so. In any case we can easily get more than thfe six-teenth-of-a-penny per lb which Mr Fitter suggests as our limit of improved

prices. “1 could go on giving any p umber of other points which would increase ..our return per lb, but dp mot propose to do so now. Mr Lvsriar added that, ill company witin other New Zealanders in London, bo had occasion sometime ago to speak very plainly to Mr Fitter and other gentlemen of the SmithfiekL.market regarding the unsatisfactory methods adopted for the handling and marketing of New Zealand produce. He then had/nothing to say in justification, and it \Vas strange now that he should go 'out iu a veiled way to discredit the necessity for improvement. It is worth recalling that in 1910 Mr Lvsriar offered to make a wager that no butcher in Smithfield would be able to toll the difference between i cooked leg of New Zealand mutton ■ that, bad been properly * thawed out' and a Scotch leg of mutton—or rather that the butcher would not pick the SentPh leg; That challenge has never beep, accepted, and it is still open. Mr Lysnnr left for the South last ■light, in the interests of'tliP Producers’ Association.