THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2781, 22 August 1883, Page 3

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

(By Teleobaph.) Wellington, Aug. 21. The following is an extract from a letter, dated London, 11th July, 1883, from Mr John Reid, of Elderslie, Oamarn, to an M.H.R., received yesterday :— " The Fenstanton arrived with'.her cargo of mutton in splendid order. I got a number of gentlemen to go down with me to the docks, and we inspected the maohioery and meat in the chambers. My friends were both amaaed and delighted with the simplicity of the whole affair. The sheep looked beautiful in the hold, all lying stacked up in their white calico bugs, with a slight coating of show over them. I got oneof my own, and had the bag stripped off. It looked' as if it had been killed only tbe day before. They are selling rapidly, 600 to 1000 each morning at Smithfield, at 6£d per lb average, and meat salesmen there with whom I have had several conversations, tell me that it is the finest mutton which ever oame to the London market. They also say they would be very glad if they could depend on regular supplies so that they might make contracts with public institutions and other large consumers, but at present they cannot make such contracts owing to the intermittent nature of the supplies. I informed them that our capabilities of producing that article were very great, but we could not get ships to take it away. Whenever that difficulty was overcome, and plenty of Tosiels were fitted with refrigerating machinery, we conld send them large and regular supplies. lam convinced that tbis trade is now completely assured, and that it will develop into larger proportions." Mr W. Y. Jackson, the late Chairman of the Wellington Harbor Board, writing from London to a friend in tbis city, sends the following interesting and important information relative to the latest improvements in regard to meat freezing apparatus : — " I saw Mr Larkworthy, who told me that a firm at Birmingham had patented an improvement in machinery for refrigerating purposes aa that it can be worked for less than half the cost of that on tbe old principle. The new machinery will take only half the room, use about half the quantity of fuel, and have power enough to freeze double the quantity of mutton or beef, consequently charges for freight will be considerably reduced. An order has been given to apply the new maohinery to one of the New Zealand Shipping Company's vessels, and it is expected it will be fixed in two months time. Tbis should be interesting news to the colony at large, and prove of great benefit to New Zealand."