THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1614, 20 July 1887, Page 3

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE

" Anglo- Australian " m the "European r MftU " writes :—" It is etraßge to me at lent to hear ou all sides that the trade m frozen mutton from New ZeaUnd is doll, and that " tbere ia no prospect of •ny improvement." How is this 1 lam veil convSncad that an enormous quantity of New Zealand meat goes Into general middle olass contumptlon and is palmed off on the purchasers as English mutton, of which it is usually a firstrate speolmen, And this adds, if anything, to the evil. Fint»te New Zealand sheep can be bought here for $5s lOd the stone, and while the Arrivals of New Zealand sheep have of late been more heavy, thoie from La Plata buve rather diminished. What, I wonder, csn be done to correct the present Anomalous state of things ? There can be no doubt whatever that the desideratum is to get the trade out of many of the hands ipto which it has bo unfortunately fallen. If all the Australasian fresh meat lent over here could bat go Into general *pnb)lo consumption as such, tbe trade would In a very short time become something truly gigantic. Of course, I Msomi that the low onrrenfc rptes originally offered to tbe fconeumer will be maintained. How is this to be dona. , Well, one way that naturally occurs to me is simply this. Let a syndic* to be foimed, with the requisite machinery on this side, to Import tbe meat into the United Kingdom, to open shops of the 9< mmon kind, jast like the other butchers, for the extensive eale of colonial frozen meat At prices which must draw the ordinary householder to give the meat a trial, This might be done effectaally, And yet at first it would only be needful to open a few shops m certain populous neighborhoods, and, an the business extended, Add shop to shop m adjacent localities, Of course these shops would receive the imported meat dlreot, end ironld tAfee oare that tha other butohers did not bay ap colonial meat cheap and ■ell it as English, which nome of them would certainly try to do, I throw tblt oat ac a very orade suggestion, bat really think it is worthy working out m detail.