CHILLED BEEF.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5071, 5 January 1927, Page 1

CHILLED BEEF.

THE AUSTRALIAN PROCESS! COMPETING WITH ARGENTINE. The Port Hardy, which left Sydney last week, took the .third consignment of chilled beef so far shipped from Australia to compete With the Argentine trade. The vessel has on board 300 chilled carcases shipped from Swi'i't’s works, Brisbane, and has. been specially fitted in accordance with a new process to keep the chilled meat in good condition for '5O days betfore it is placed on the Smithfield market. The inventor of the process, which differs from the Argentine method on account of the greater length o'f the voyage, is Mr C. H. Rayson, of Melbourne, and the patent rights are held by the Perfect Food Process Proprietory, Ltd., the shares of which are held in Australia. Mr Rayson and his father, Mr R. Rayson, also ,a refrigerating engineer, are voyaging to England with the consignment. It is claimed by Mr Rayson, senr., that if the third shipment, especially at this time, o'f the year, reaches England in as good condition as the previous two, an Australian chilled beef tr,ade, in competition with the Argentine, will have been proved commercially practicable and, profitable. “It Will be the biggest, thing that has ever happened in the Australian meat trade.,” he declared enthusiastically. “Hitherto, Australian beef, landed frozen hard, has been a glut/in the market against the Argentine beef, lightly chilled, and to all intents and purposes practically fresh; but if Australian beef can be landed regularly in the same condition the British people’s preference for the Empire product'should restore the Australian trade.”

Mr Rayson added that the trial consignment by the. Port Darwin encouraged his company to greater experiments, and 800 quarters of Queensland beef were later despatched by the Port Auckland, also specially fitted for the occasion. This consignment was landed in Smithfield in the best condition, apd realised 6%d per. lb against 4%d for the It was the, intention of the company, which held the process rights, to have six more, vessels fitted'for 'he chilled beef trade, and ultimately to land 1000 quarters, of beef (20'0,0001b) in Smithfield qvery month.