HANDLING FROZEN MEAT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1733, 25 April 1913, Page 8

HANDLING FROZEN MEAT.

PERCENTAGE OF DAMAGED CARCASSES. .4. further .contribution' to the controversy lotween Messrs. R. B. Bennett, NewZealand representative of Messrs. H. S. Fitter and Sons, and Mr. ; W. D. Lysnar as to tho respective merits. of. the Port of London innd Bristol in 11 southern exchange. In the course of a further interview, dealing with Mr. Lysnar'a statements, Mr. . Bennett declared that Mr. Lysnar's assertion that frequently 20 por cent, of tho carcasscs wero disfigured by broken shanks, scratches, etc., -when landed in Britain was ridiculous. His firm was amongst tho largest handlers of frozen. meat at Home, and he had no hesitation in declaring that the percentage of broken shanks and damaged carcasses did not ampunt to 2 per cent. Jlr. Bennett produced an unopened letter which he had that day received from his'firm ill- London, stating that ho presumed it contained duplicato returns of consignments of meat sent through his firm for various clients throughout Iscw Zealand. Ho asked the reporter to open it in order to satisfy himself 'as to the percentage of damaged carcasses. ' On opening-the letter, it wag found that it contained a budget of account salts of' parcels of sheep and lambs shipped to London by various clients, and disposed of by Messrs; l itter and Sans. ' All the damaged carcasses wero carefully marked 011 tho margin, so there could not possibly be any misapprehension as to tho number in each consignment. The total number of carcasses referred to in tho account sales was 31,801, and out of this the number damaged was 218, or .085' per cent. These parcels of meat represented consignments from Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, and Canterbury, and Mr. Bennett urged that it spolco volumes for tho care that was exercised by all concerned, when the percentage of damaged carcasses was so very small; indeed, lie'doubte'd whether any other trade in tho world could show a smaller percentage of waste. Tho figures which had come to hand that day did not, Mr. Bennett added, diffflr in any particular from: thoso which came to hand every week. It- occasionally happened - that fairly largo consignments (as the figures given below will 6how) reached the consumer without'a singlo .carcass being condemned, but other 1 consignments wero not quite as fortunate, but it was rare that 2 per cent, of a' tonsignment was condemned. ; '<■

; The following figures civo the number of carcasses in each |of the parcels of which Mr. Bennett received the account ■sales as stated'ia'bove, together -with tho number of damaged carcasses in parentheses 3582 (25), .7273. (58),. 36D1 (25), 2427 (11), 147 (0), G1S'(0), 1500 (25), 1919 (11), 497 (2), 191 (0), 181 (4), 259 (0), 1081 ("), 500 (9), 571 (0),.1132 (14), 405 (G), 482 (8), "j754 (15), 187 (0), 1314 (7), 222 (2), 206 (0), 856 (6), 93 (0), 556 (0), 100 (0). Totals, 31,804 (218),