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The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1888. COLONIAL MEAT IN ENGLISH MARKETS.

The " Field " has been lately discussing the desirability of having trade marks for butchers* meat sold in London and other large centres. Such a course would prevent imposture and improve the position of colonial meat in the Home market. With the fall in prices of cereals British farmers have lately turned their attention to the production of dairy produce and butihers meat, but with the competition brought to bear on the market by the introduction of colonial and American meat the British farmer does not seem to have bettered his position by substituting beef raising for grain growing. Live stock can be landed in England from A merica in such quantity as to cripple the market for anything but really first class beef. At the same time the Home butchers who have a rnonoply of the trade, attempt to pass off aB best English grown meat the products both of America and the colonies. It is acknowledged at Home that colonial meat — particularly New Zealand frozen mutton is equal, or even superior to the best British meat, but there remains a prejudice in the ordinary mind against foreign meat. This prejudice is traded upon by fleshers at Home to the detriment, of the colonial meat and to their own decided profit and advantage. The butchers buy large quantities of colonial meat wholesale at a comparatively low figure, and sell it retail as best English mutton at such an advanae as ensures a rich harvest to the vendor. Not content with thus keeping down the price of the frozen mutton, we are told on the authority of the "Field" that it is common knowledge that not only are carcases of imported meat sold as Home grown, but also — as if to trade upon the universal reputation for inferiority, which ha6 attached itself to the colonial article — it has become the custom in some quarters for butchers to sell all second rate Home grown meat as colonial. The effect of this system is to perpetrate a double fraud upon the producer and consumer alike, for the benefit of the middleman. Ihe article goes on to say— "As regards the imposition upon the consumer, it may be said that the taste of bis mind more than his palate is thus victimised, and that in reality he obtains just as good an article for his dinner table for his money, whether tbe real home of the produce be in Britain or across the sea. But eyen if this were an established fact, none the less is it a matter of dishonesty to trade under false colors. If a consumer is willing — as a matter of fancy or of appetite — to pay a higher price for tbe produce of one part of the globe than for that of another, then, to trade upon his idiosyncrasy and to deceive him as to the source of the commodity which he buys under a warranty, is a fraud, both civil and criminal. As regards the injustice to the producer, it is plain that by this practice he loses the benefit of the extra and fancy value which public taste accords to his productions. His trade repute is made a stalking-horse for palming off, as his production goods which are of an inferior brand, bo far as concerns the prices they can command in the market."

.he action of the Home botchers in thus Belling colonial meat at fancy prices, as the best British meat, while still decrying the frozen mutton as worthless and inferior, is certainly die-honest. While) such a system remains in vogue it will be a very long time before frozen mutton will be purchased as such by the generalty of the consumers at Home. New Zealand, to -a very largo percentage of the population in Great Britain is I still an almost unknown portion of the world. Even when it becomes known to a better class of the people there is a vulgar and unaccountable prejudice; against an outside article for human con- : sumption, and they cannot understand how it could be possible, without damaging meat, fco bring it such a long distance in a fresh state. There would seem to be little chanco of bettering the the market for frozen meat until it is more widely advertised. When a consumer finds that at a cheap rate he can get a good joint of New Zealand meat he will soon overcome his prejudice, but so long as he has to purchase from an unscrupulous middleman be will pay a

high price for what he believes to be his own country's production while in reality it was grown sixteen thousand miles away, is a better article and had he only known, could have been had for half the price he paid for it if his butcher we're honest enough in his dealing to let people know where he procured his supplies.

It has been suggested that some system of trade marks might be adopted to prevent fraud ia the description of meat, but the difficulty in connection with the matter is not such a one as can be easy surmounted. The formation at Home, of retail shops- by the freezing companies in New Zealand, where noth ing but colonial meat would be sold, ia, we think, one of the best means of advertising our produce. Until ignorance and prejudice are overcome the colonial meat will suffer in the Home market.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG18880721.2.4

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1898, 21 July 1888, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
921

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1888. COLONIAL MEAT IN ENGLISH MARKETS. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1898, 21 July 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1888. COLONIAL MEAT IN ENGLISH MARKETS. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1898, 21 July 1888, Page 2

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