NEW ZEALAND MEAT IN LONDON.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 799, 22 November 1882, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND MEAT IN LONDON.

The London correspondent of a Southern contemporary thus writes about New Zealand meat : —“ Wishing to see colonial meat at Srnithfield myself on Thursday morning, I went early and paid the market a visit. The butchers at best do not seem to be a communicative class, but on the subject of colonial meat they are literally deaf and dumb. To my inquiries as to prices they replied in language which is undoubtedly naughty, but cannot by any stretch of imagination be termed nice. For a long time I could get no one in the market to admit that there was or ever had been any New Zealand meat there. In vain I endeavored to talk as if I were one of the trade, about to set up with a blue apron and large knife at the West End. They could see I behaved like a fraud, and it was therefore with no small joy that, having prevailed over an obese elderly assistant, I asked him to partake of liquid re-

freshment, and led the way as though familiar with the neighborhood to an adjoining bar parlor. My guest seemed disposed to shirk shop and to talk of anything else ; but after he had consumed two big glasses of liquor known as “ dog’s-nose” he grew so communicative that I eventually learnt a good deal about the meat from the Mataura. He said that some of it which had been sold was generally admitted to be firstclass, though perhaps a little fat, but sheep with more meat and less fat sold best. Those were the carcasses weighing 7olbs a-piece. The New Zealand meat he considered to be far superior to Australian ; so did the trade generally in a retail way. Wilkins, of fhe Seven Dials, bought a good deal of the New Zealand meat, and if I went to his shop I could see the prices he was realising. For the Mataura’s cargo the rates he had seen paid were as follows :—Carcase mutton, per lb, wholesale, to retail, Shoulder mutton, yd wholesale; retail, Bd. Chops, retail, 8d per lb. The retail rates here given are probably a little under the mark. In the Seven Dials legs of mutton were fetching as much as pd and rod on the following Saturday night, when, doubtless, Mr Wilkins, in clearing out stock, sold at low prices. I next paid a visit to the consignees of the Mataura, and the energetic secretary —a gentleman to whom shippers are much indebted —was kind enough to show me the following important letter from their chief salesman, a butcher in a very large way of business. He writes; “ We deeply regret that these splendid sheep, in such prime condition, come into an exceptionally bad market. In our opinion they are the most saleable yet imported, and will, as a rule, realise 6% d per lb in all ordinary markets easily. One special feature we observe. They preserve their beautiful fresh color the second and third day, and, with the exception of some moisture on the legs, change

Kdrjj "atmosphere. We need ill vhicpi, canfully realised, i rr&mfc ablSjbed or prewould J igsike 'hfjf sheep rank own product'jffeSdiiy. A 'jody men who can 'bring such exleatlhi prime condition such a distance, placing it in the market at h reasonable paying-price l withwthe'fffSfch of the people of this vast 'population, will* confer a national "boon.” The secretary of the«Australim*oompany thinks that godd meSty n %eep, about yolb, are best for importation. As fof game, it seems that there is not much opening. The little sent this time has net made a possible test of the market; i