BACON FOR EXPORT.

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19455, 20 December 1934, Page 11

BACON FOR EXPORT.

(To the Editor.) Sir,- —For some time 1 have thought New Zealand should enter into the bacon trade for overseas markets in England and the East. There is not likely to he. as great a quota put on bacon as on'meat or pork coining into England; there may be a small duty put on it, but that would not kill the trade, t have mentioned this suggested baron export trade to several business men, and the arguments against it are as follows: .1. “Our bacon is the worst in the world, and no one would buy it.” This could be easily overcome by importing a few English experts who would teach us how to cure bacon. 2. Another statement made is that “our bacon to sell in England must be mild cured, and bacon from here would not keep.” This is not correct, as i have my pigs mild cured and put in the freezing works, and lake Iheni out from time lo lime as required. , bacon mild cured will keep fresh for two months after coming out of the freezing chamber and keep as long as you like when in the works. a. The statement is also made that “mild cured bacon cannot be slacked, and Hie cost, of shipment will be too much from here lu England." All 1 can -slate is that when I go to Ihc freezing works 10. get my bacon I Mini it is slacked lu the roof, and no harm is done. II is hard lo understand why all llie.se obstacles are pul in (lie way of Ibis bacon trade, and lo show Dial they are not correct a friend of mine who went to live in England, and had

a farm here, used to have his ovm bacon shipped Home, and it ''as I feci The Meat Board has done a great deal to encourage the shipment of pork and bacon pigs to be cuied m England, but the point 1 wis J l ° is that if our bacon was cured Jo Zealand it would give employn ent lo a large number of people, and m Mine this export of bacon would be much larger than the export of meat. Taking the Meat Board’s last'annual report, Hie total value of meal exported in the year ended Match, l.bbi, was £10,2(58,238, and during that year Denmark, which is not as largo as Otago and Canterbury, exported to England in bacon and pig products the value of £19,123,933; and it we go back to the year 1931 - he expor Od bacon and pig products to the m uo I of £22.393,707. This is more than ; double our meat exports. l also' • ii,.,i miring the year 1933 Now iotk i exported to England £2,293,11C worth ; of hams alone. These lew figures 1 s how what a vast trade there is ahead i of us by shipping our own bacon to i England and other countries. I i i js Excellency Hie. Governor- ! General has taught us how to breed ! |he right pig for export. When ho ! arrived here our exports ol pork were 1 next to nothing; now H is esUmalcd that during Hie coming season oUO.OOO ~is will he sent away, winch is equal lo" about 2,0(10,000 lambs Before His Excellency leaves New Zealand I trust he will give us an address on how to mild-eure bacon. We arc all now beginning lo realise wlial a great friend he lias been to the farmers ol this country. There has never been u Governor who has. realised our

troubles more than he has done, and I sincerely believe if be were only to remain here, with his great knowledge of butler, cheese, pigs, bacon, and general farming, he would pull us out of the mess we are in.—i am, etc., BERNARD TRIPP, q’imaru, December 12, 1931.