The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, JUNE 4th, 1925. CHILLED BEEF TRADE.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 June 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, JUNE 4th, 1925. CHILLED BEEF TRADE.

Tub successful dinp; «sai ;it riimithlield of tin l Australian cxferimeutal shipment of 71 quarters of hod which had boon chilled hv a now process opens up a wnlo vi-.ta of possibilities for the Australian rattle industry, remarks a Sydney paper. But much has yet to he done before the hulk of the beef exports are handled under the lie"' conditions. It should he understood that the term ‘‘chilled beef’’ is usually applied to beef which is carried at a temperature of i? 3 degrees Fail, to 110 c< - gives Fab., and arrives at its tlesti tatinn in soft (audition, ready f >r immediate consumption. The term “Dozen beef." on the other hand, is applied to that which is carried at a much lower temperature, say 10 degrees Fail, to 15 degrees Fall., and arrives at its destination perfectly hard, so that it requires to be thawed out before it can be used. Mutton and lamb are always carried in a frozen condition. The much more attractive appearance of the chilled beef gives it a greater market, able value under ordinary conditions,

hut. the fact that it is decidedly more lerisluililo than wlieti tro/.e i leads to a

greater variation in pine. 1 lie rapid increase in the popularity of the chilling process is shown by the m< t lbal V. lie leas' in UH.lt> a total ci 1.7 1 1.192 quarters of chilled were imported into the I'nited Kingdom t.oi which t.cariv SO per cent, went from North America and the balance from the Argentine) the imports had increased to 0.12‘i.7tj7 ptiartors in 1924. of which only 420 ipiarter- went from North Arnold a. 1.824.282 uiiariers from Argentina, and the ha la n e from I'niguey. Brazil. tin t ether places. ’I be imj.uls el frozen beef into the I'nited Kingdom in 1021 totalled 2, Olio. 219 quarters, c! which a.boui ball was

sent by Argentina, and iitll" over 2o rer rent. 1-v Australia. A fair eitnpa;is a of piiia-s between Australian f|- ■vei, a.l.d At g. mine . billed is not possible. o-.., mg 1.1 tile fait that f-omo of the most violin: l! mtn ;t ion.-. in the .pi.-.m! i-ui • I', r tit. latter oceiirre'l when the Australian uncle - a- ~li ill" market. At two "cried, the highest price for chilled was I "low that, of the eir-re-ii r.udiil ■- I t i •• !■"' \rg. ut ine tforen. Ac orditlg to Wed'lei's Review of the l‘Torch -Meat Ti i.le during 1924, Argon: it... froze a ill's! (hinds') averaged .V.d per lb. while the chilled beef i in., !- 1 . aa i I Bid per lb. The - ar. e r.-hitii.. dilfereitee on lined in 1912, while the dilfereitee between the two aiei.aaes ill 1923 was .-even-eighths of a p.-nny. Audi alum frozen l-eef in 1021 averaged Id It lore ‘p"". : .os, and !;.| for binds. Thus it 'ill be seen that for hind iprot.o- tic enhanced price due to chilling instead of freezing, provided tho process is a.s successful as that adopted in the South American meat trade, may be put down at Id per lb. The net profit arising from the alteration will, of course. depend on the cost. of installing and o* era.ting tile process, and whether the same plant i- commercially adaptable In the freezing of mutton when beef is in t available in sufficient quantity. As regards the use of the c hilling process lor forequarters the prospects are not so promising. Weddel’s Review states that in 1924 chilled lore quarters followed the course of frozen lore quarters. with slightly greater duel nation, and the average for the year, viz... 3:,’d per lb., was the same as the average price of Argentine frozen fore-quarter beef. At one time in the middle of summer supplies of chilled lores were so heavy in relation to the demand that large quantities of hoof were disposed of at from Id to 2d per lb.