THE MEAT TRADE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8667, 6 July 1906, Page 3

THE MEAT TRADE.

MR J. A. GILRUTH' S REMARKS. LOCAL VIEWS. In a lecture before the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association last night MrjJ. A. Gilxuth, the Chief Government Veterinarian, made some suggestions in regard to the frozen meat trade. Amongst his suggestions wore: (1) That a email indelible stamp, showing that the meat was from New 1 Zealand, .had been inspected, and was of good quality, should be placed on each shank; (2) that no meat should be shipped unless it bore a certificate from the inspector to the effect that it had been passed and stamped for export; and (3) that a veterinary inspector of the Department should be appointed to attend the Smithfield market and inspect the New Zealand meat. Inquiries made locally this morning indicated that exporters are heartily in accord with Mr Gilruth in- desiring to maintain the quality and prestige of New 1 Zealand meat, but differ, as to the best methods to be adopted. There is a feeling that the freezing companies cannot' be fairly asked to do very much more than they do at present, and that alarm as to the quality of the meat exported is quite groundless. The best reply to any suggestion of that character is the admitted fact that a great deal of the New- Zealand meat is sold as English in the retail shops at Home. _ Speaking in regard to the proposal to appoint a permanent inspector at the Smfthfitid market/ a gentleman closely associated with , frozen meat matters said that the proposal was by no means & new one. On several occasions there had been an agitation for the appointment of sucfo. an officer, but the general feeling was that the- step would hot be justified. Only a small part of the New Zeaand meat landed at London went through the Smithfield market, the balance going to the retailers direct from the cold stores, into which it. was transferred from, the ships. An inspector at Smithfield, therefore, would not be covering anything lik"e the whole field. In any case the work of inspection could only be made effective by a staff of inspectors. Frequently three or four steamers, each carrying perhaps 100,000 carcases, will arrive witoiin a week, and to expect on© man to inspect tihe consignments would be absurd. The only reason advanced by Mr Galruth for the appointment was the possibility of inferior meat shipped to South Africa, finding its way on to the London market. South Africa, for -some reason, demanded a lean and inferior class of meat, and did not appreciate the fat, choice meat sent to London. In one instance quoted by Mr Gilruth a consignment of 900 carcases intended for South Africa had found its way to London, but it should be possible to prevent that occurring again without appointing an expensive resident offioer. The meat sent to South Africai was of course not diseased in any way. It was simply of inferior quality. In regard to the stamp, it is pointed out that already the leading freezing companies in New Zealand fix metal tags to their meat in suph a manner, that the tags canmot be removed without being destroyed. There is undoubtedly a prejudice against meat bearing a stamp, although an inventor has come forward with a stamping material guaranteed to disappear i<n the process of cooking. What is really required is not &o much an improved method of 'mar-kina the m»9.t as the education c£ the British public in the matter. If the buyers could b© taught that all real New Zealand meat bore a tag, and would aek the butdher* to show this, an improvement in the trade would result at once. The tendency of the Home butcher at present is to sell only inferior frozen meat as frozen, reserving the real "Prime Canterbury" for the " home-killed " trade.