THE FARM.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 395, 26 September 1884, Page 5

THE FARM.

NEW ZEALAND MUTTON AT HOME. , (Anglo Australian in the '* European Mail,' Aug. 8.) I am sorry to say that the fresh or frozen meat trade from New Zealand has not exactly flourished during the last few weeks. [First, we had supplies too heavy and sudden for the • j. markets, and then a reverse state of j things. In the former case the prices . I were seriously affected, and ihus greatly checked' the action of the numerous members of the retail trade who are beginning at last to bo a little educated in regard to Australian or New Zea ' land meat, and to be desirous of seeing how the meut will do i _ their respective localities. Values, subsequently, were somewhat re-established, but the trade suffers greatly by irregularities, and io is in its existing stage a very delicate commercial plant indeed. The meat is undoubtedly making its way fast.but there remains yet an enormous amount of prejudice and local-difficulty to overcome, and, populous as England is, the ultimate and virtual control of the principal markets for ordinary butcher's meat is surely a splendid prize to tempt colonial ambition. The secret of ultimate success lies,mosfc unquestionably, in good and well-thought out organisation, and that afc present is not always what might be desired. In connection with this eubjecfc I may here observe that during the hot weather — just as I anticipated — a good deal of trouble has been, and is being experienced in the retailing of Australian meat, and particularly of New Zealand mutton, in outlying districts. Some of the difficulty is legitimate enough, pr, at all events, ifc arisss out of circumstances bpyond the control of butchers in any way ; bub I greatly • regret to say that in other instances the greed£of the purveyor of colonial meat is now in many extensive districts working great mischief to the cause of the Canterbury pastoralists,a_d, unfortunately it is, as I am about to show, extremely difficult to see whence the remedy is to come. Take a common case. So soon as the weather becomes decidedly hot we all know that the butcher has his troubles, and that meat is apt to go off suddenly. But surely that is no reason why in numerous in. stances, with a well-simulated sorrow, he should assure his customers inquiring for New Zealand mutton that,alas ! none is to be had. ' You know,' he adds on these occasions, becoming suspiciously confidential, ' That 'ere meat don't keep like prime British stuff ; 'taint to be expected, is it now ?" He then frankly confesses that all bis current purchases of New Zealand mutton " have gone that bad you wouldn't believe," and he has (poor man) sustained a ruinous loss. But he does not like disappointing anyone, however he may himself be disappointed, and he adds, with assumed briskness designed to allure his customer into trustfulness, that he will cut a prime joint of English mutton at, say, only a penny a pound over the rate of colonial mutton. What can the customer do in these cases, which are pretty frequent 1 He may have strong suspicious, but it is not practicable to give them expression and in nearly every case there is nothing for it but submission to the device of the crafty butcher who thus ingeniously, because the weather is a little warm, squeeze an extra penny a pound from the consumer ot what is excellent Canterbury mutton. The evil is'twofold, as it obviously brings the colonial mutton into somewhat bad repute as having inferior keeping qualities to those it really possesses, and of course those who eat ifc as English mutton naturally cease for the time to be instrumental in propagating a taste for this particular meat. I have mentioned this evil because ifc is only too prevalent, and at present it does not seem ■at all clear that there is any practicable remedy. for what, is really ..'a gross imposition on many of us>. and a decide 1 wrong on the importers of New Zealand mutton.