AUSTRALIAN MEAT SHORTAGE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 998, 13 December 1910, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN MEAT SHORTAGE.

■AI|VENT OF FROZEN BEEF AND >■-.: ;--'W;- . MUTTON. . :V':' ; ;V .A;'GREAT RECEPTION. '"' . : 'j''The circumstances which led up to theV . ■■'•introduction to Austria of a trial ship;ment. of Argentim frozen-meat .were more .seriously'by' the people of ! --, : Austria than is imagined byimyone out- '.. Bide the country. Some of the scenes which'greeted tho cxp&impntnl shipment S C were/of : : an extraordinary nature, as may. ■ ; : ,""ibe;-; gathered from extracts from news- 1 : : "^papers'published in the places of their AJ'happening.'. The matter which follows .; i'::V.liereunder' ■ has been ' translated', from ; Austrian, journals:— ' .--''.' ..; .'On'October 23~ there was a demonstra- . .'. tion at':Budapest against the high prices ' ofXm'eat. The Socialists met,'. and after- ... a 'procession, in which 12,000 per- :;. 'isOnS 'took part, was organised.- The prev,'.vious day'a procession of 500' people, He'/•Vifi.oustrating against..the ruling' prices, : V; had'.-h'een held at Prague.' Both demon- ' ..Bt'rations passed' over quietly. . ;•'.;;V'TlieJtMeat Arrives^ 1 - ■". ' >,-;,!/.At.,7.30. o'clock in the morning after ?'". the.meat arrived at Vienna; the' officials .';? o.f;the:ti) r wn and the State Administration , /. ..w'ere'.'.at the Customs office in order to ■•■• inspect -the", meat,: and report'officially : '"■'. upon';it. .'ln the large hall, of "the basc- ; ■ meat there-was a lot of activity. There was'.much discussion, and people waited •': with evident', excitement for the moment. '. WnehT thep lead scales would be removed ■■';: and-the; "wagons opened. There was a•; /f'large'number of public functionaries and '-,:. corporation, representatives present. At ...B.4s.the' wagons wore uncovered, and.a iv stream of cold air escaped and made the. r .'.peopje, standing near by aware of its r ■.. ..presence.'- ': J ' : .., ;-_.''At the first. moment," runs..the re- -• port,;"one -observes \tho * great sides of : : '.' meatiwhich lie one: on top. of the other, . .sewn'up.in'jute coverings. The wagon •' jg ( : internally lined with plates -of sheer 'iron, and .is divided into two. chambers. ■';■' ;■:. Oh' the ceiling' there. are arrangements 0 , for;'hanging.. On the one "side you see ;;V/Pprtions'--of-carcasses piled one on top : ; ..v.of ■■the "other; in-the second division there \ -- hang sides' of mutton wrapped up in ; .... coverings of fine calico. The tempera- ' -■-. ture in the wagon, ■ - as. shown by the -. ■'. thermometer, amounts to two degrees above zero. Sowo of. the gentlemen han- ■ -died, tho pieces of meat, and found them ■■'.'- all,»frozen, hard.. Only later parts' of : _:.:cooled,' but not • frozen,'' meat 'were out, and these were not covered. '.■-'■'.Tfi'esb represent the lower qualities.". ; ' : is surprised' to see- what enor-.••'■'-JBOUS\mass.es ;pf. ; meat! hare been stored. .!...iri-the .one wagon. Every piece has a' '■■' .ticket; hanging which states that the. Ar- ';"' geritine Ministry of Agriculture has ex- .''■_': amined ■■ the meat and found it suitable for'export. The certificate, drawn up in ..'the.Spanish language, certifies that in the , v; cold chambers of the steamers La Blanc'a ' ';"' Laura,ls6 pieces of :beef and 'a v. large -of legs of mutton were r, shipped .in.'Buenos Aires, and that the '-yraeat,'after-.examination by the.yeterin- '■ ..:. ary.. offi'cials,ywas;found to .bo -.entirely .„'-. unobjectionable." •':'■' • ! ■."Experts Absolutely -Enthusiastic." . i .-;;"iTveryone. expresses himself favourably- :•';'•-. iri; ; r'egard to;,the' quality.) Several of the' ■ . 'experts- are'.'absolutely, enthusiastic;;, and •■. - declare -that' the Argentine' meat' can with \coiindence;:.;stand'comparison' 'with, ;the. ."finest native/qualities. The :mutton spe- ■:' cially. arouses general astonishment '.on ''account of its beautiful appearance.'.'. . Market. Director Bauer declared that the meat looked splendid. There was no ques- -. tion'but that*7the. better portionfrepfe-*' Rented-fine quality, but. even the lower -'""qualities;could'be placed on""a level with .'.ours..: Director Bauer, only feared that '-'•■tho.' mutton, which, was fairly' streaked ."; fat, would not suit the Vienna' !'ifr?pc'6ple;' -The Argentine .■ sheep are doubt-S'-.-.fes ;ioo 'weir fed. .T ..Director Englehart ■•■;.-. said ,ifc.;was .only' to be 'desired that such '. V' a'VsbJpmenL.'would, arrive • once a. pioiiih. - :,'.;..'. The,packing was absolutely unexcep- ; 'ttohahle, -and -the ineat- arrived in '.such' ' • -'-a'frozen condition r ih. Vienna that'it could - ' lie for fully. 48 hours before ;.:■ 'thawing,.completely." .'-.,' ,'. .'.:;-; , . . ,■ -.'.. '■', The "representative of the Military t'om- ':■' missariat'-Department who inspected the ' meat;,. expressed himself in favourable .;-"'.terms in. regard to • the. quality' of. the. ".. . parcel and/gave expression to' the ; hope -that within a: period of time not too far distant sufficient quantities of meat would . be taken to,Vienna,.to.enable the military '.■". also-'tobe provided with Argentine., meat. .'-.The military inVienna require such large ■■~"'. quantities;of meat every day that a con- . ■ sidc'rable'saving of money "could lie ef- -:;,-. fected." ; "■..« -..-■-. wNo; Tuberculosis. - .'; ; . The ;writer 'proceeds' to state that if ..;the'-Government granted permission for ; ;the unimpeded importation of .Argentine ■-• meat,,''the' consequence would be an' im- .": 'mediate;fall in price of from 40 to GO -..-'.. heller per kilo. ■ '•■ ' ..; . 'The principle point in the examination, to which careful attention was directed, .')/■ was; to "ascertain the .existence or nou- . ' .existence.,of-tuberculosis in the meat. In .'.this direction; the examination yielded-a ;,.'perfi;ct]y > ,satisfactory result. :£ Atithe:Market Hall.'■'';,.'' -■■.;■'fit:is. ; ;a.long time since therp was , " Bo.'rauch,.animation at tho market hall. One; .man; called to another," and even strangers .'called/oho. another's attention . to';'the,.;-fact...;that there .was Argentine .meat .on-;the platform, and the whole .-.--.mass of,.people-pressed in that direction. .y,'-;;V'.\. Everyone was absolutely, enthusiastic '. • -in; regard.,to;-the qualUy of ttho Argentine • .■meat.ywhichV'how'eyei'i is only intended. 'fa :tp\, h'ei.a;'tasting 'sairiple'.. Therefore, in 'A-VinQw''of"j;ne , 'faet.J:hat ; th'c.'nieat , is some- -,-' '.'.wha^.tdg'..fat'-for'our own requirements, '/i(this question.will'have to be iakeh into -'• consideration. for ' deliveries." ': .-. - .'Notices were posted that the meat would \ ",be sold on the,.following day, and'the ■ '.'-. details, and the retail prices'were ■'con.igidered,'by a meeting of the interested. . ■'. parties .'prior to the sale. The newspapers. '. -housewives' regarding the-r-y.codfcin'f of'.'the meat,, and the . Vienna ,•:■■'.'.■ Hbtelkeepers' .Association' issued a.circu- ■'.'-. lar'.'bn' the- same subject. Four hundred '.; and ;.twenty butchers expressed- Hvilling- >„:. ne'ss to'retail.the meatr-■':.-;/;A .description and particulars- .of-.-ithe' i i.'enje .of the, meat 'will appear in to-mor-,'..:'Tow'S; issue. • .