THE MARKING OF FROZEN MEAT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 788, 11 April 1910, Page 10

THE MARKING OF FROZEN MEAT.

THE BRITISH PROPOSAL. The Loudon correspondent of the "Sydney Morning Herald," ;in a recent letter, deals with the questiijh of meatmarking and grading at length. His remarks- on the prospects of the Bill which is being pushed by the Central Chamber of Agriculture are worth noting. " -V : ■As was stated in this article sis wfiGKs ago- would- bo the case' (writes the correspondent), the Central Cliain•ber of Agriculture; is pushing forward the question of marking imported meat. British agriculturists are still keen on having such meat branded, or marked, "colonial" or "foreign" according to its place of origin/ And they want also that every retailer, of such: meat' shall /prominently display 'in Ins -shop a . notice. to that eifect. Oh tie face of it, this prospect .may seem fair enough. But at the bottom the home agriculturist is seeking to protect his own products, for he knows perfectly. well that such a brand placed upon meat would be the affixing of a stigma in -tlio eyes of ' myriads of prejudiced people. How strong prejudice is here few people in the colonics can imagine. last Saturday I heard a welldressed, - and presumably educated woman, buying half-a'pound jjf steak, ask the butcher, ; "Is it English?" "Oh, yes, madam,", was the, reply. She carried away hor parcel quite satisfied. But it was chilled beef,' all the same. Working on' this prejudice, the British producer; wants all meat but his own markedj:.under a' 1 penalty.. 'No sensible man, either .colonial or British, in the imported meat, trade, now wants his meat branded,; though the idea was started some 1 years ago by New ■ Zealand on the claim that its'meat was better than anyone else's. They/invited British farmers*"to actually inspect an indelible., brand. -Better counsels prevailed on the part of the Dominion; but the incident is remembered here. Reference was made' to it at a meeting on Tuesday last. of .the .Central Chambers of Agriculture • council, when the statement was made that' New Zealand meat was .actually branded. Of course, this is not the case. The council, however,'- unanimously approved a motion •in favour of'introducing a' meat-mark r ing Bill in the; next Parliament, which meets in a few .weeks. And there is no doubt that every effort will bo made to pass such a measure into law,. and so to get, not. only carcasses, but individual joints, ■ brjuided. Several fl.poakers: at .the .council meeting, saw a difficulty "in-marking every .joint, but they intend going for it all the samo. What: a ' carcass would look like stamped oil. every joint may be better- imagined than' 'described;'. : v Australun : meat exporters would 'do well , .to . watch the ;trend of events in respcct. of this matter. And' their' representatives at this end should watch carefully, too. All. importing meat' houses and imported, meat • vendors' looked askance at tho proposal when' it was first made, and have regarded it:as:dead. It,'however, is by no means defunct, when the Central Chamber of Agriculture- unanimously srupport it, and, what'is more, seem fairly sanguine cf getting their Bill, through' tile House of Commons as Jtlle;Lords. ....