THE MEAT-PRESERVING COMPANY AT THE TAIERI.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2349, 12 October 1870, Page 2

THE MEAT-PRESERVING COMPANY AT THE TAIERI.

Boiling down, when first adopted in Australia to save the pastoral interest from min, was a wasteful process. After the skin only one part—the fat of the animals—was utilised. The era of preserved meats was not yet, aud the only idea was to procure tallow for export. Legs .of mutton were to be had for sixpence each, and the remainder was considered food for dogs and pigs. Now all is changed. The millions of Europe are drawing largely upon the pieserved meats of Australia, and instead of the melting copper and the tallow hogshead being the chief requirements of a boilingdown establishment, orderly and costly arrangements are needed for separating the various products and preparing them for market- The projected meat-curing establishment at Abbott’s Creek is to be on an extended scale. Wc are indebted to the courtesy of the architect, Air Blair, for an explanation of the plans. Abbott’s Creek is about six miles from the town, and is thus conveniently situated for the purchase of stock, and carriage at a light expense to a port of shipment. The buildings will be in separate blocks. In one, at a distance from the rest and nearer to the creek, will be residences for the managers and the employes. Not far from them is what is termed the factory, ami beyond that the slaughter-houses. From these it intended to lay a tramway to the factory, in order that the carcases of the slaughtered animals may be conveyed to it at the least possible labor. Perhaps a clearer idea may be formed of the plan of working by stating that the ground-floor of the factory, which is to be 125 feet G inches long by 50 feet G inches broad, is to be divide! into several compartments. One is to be called the boning room ; in another i- to be an immense digester ; in a third the tallow will be received and packed ; in a fourth tins to contain the preserved meat are to be made ; in a fifth packing-eases ; in a sixth the meat in the tins will be subjected to the action of heat, in order to preserve it from putrefaction ; in another the tins will be cooled, and finally they will be packed in cases for the market. Bearing in mind these separate departments, a little explanation will give an idea of how the work is to be conducted. From the slaughterhouses the carcases are to be placed upon trunks and run on the tramway, into the honing house. In this room are to be six tables to which the carcases arc transferred from the trucks ; the flesh will be separated from the bones and offal, and placed in tins The bones and such parts of tho animals as are convertible into gravy are to be continually digesting in several boilers. The tins containing the meat are to be filled up with this soup or gravy. They are again to be placed on a truck and run on the tramrnad (which traverses every room) into the tinsmith’s department. There they are to he closed up, with the exception of a small vent, and the lids of the tins are to be soldered on. From the tinsmiths room they arc to be transferred to the preserving pans. These will be raised 2ft Gin from the floor, and will resemble large boxes, 4ft Gin by 6ft. Within each of these boxes will be a series of pipes returned several times. On these pipes, through which a jet of steam is to be constantly passing when needed, a grating is to be placed, and on it the tins of meat are to be put, so that it may be cooked. After undergoing this process they are to be taken to the cooling room, and plunged into cold water. Placed once more on the truck they will be run on the rail to tho testing room, and, after examination, completely closed. Thence they are to be taken to the packing room and put into eases, So much for tho preserved meat, but during these operations another process is to go on in a different part of the building. The bones and refuse are to be placed in a huge digester capable of holding within it about 200 sheep ; it will be a huge pan 10ft high heated by steam. In this boiler the tallow is melted and by a convenient arrangement will be run into casks. The boiler for the supply of steam for the establishment will be equal to that required for working an engine of 20 horse-power. Such is an imperfect sketch of the meat curing establishment in prospect. It is a new industry in Otago, and wc trust will be found a profitable one.