Our Meat in London.

Manawatu Herald, 29 June 1895, Page 3

Our Meat in London.

* MrDuthie supplies us with the following notes of a visit to the Smithfield meat market, Messrs Nelson Bros.' stores, and London wool stores, made on Brd February last with Messrs Charles Pharazyn, George Beetham, James Bull, and Keeles (Messrs Nelson's principal meat . salesman). The following notes and conclusions were drawn up at the time by the party ior publication out here :— An examination and comparison of the carcases in the market must disabuse even a colonial enthusiast of the conviction that our colonial mutton is equal to English, or that ours could be substituted by butchers in the best trade for the best Home article. First, the colour is pale as compared with new meat, and it will look worse when thawed. Then it is generally roughly butchered, tbe carcases are neither trimmed nor wiped, and have usually suffered from rough handling, being bruised or out of shape. This rough handling continues up to the market, where tbe men were carrying in two carcases at a time from drays and dropping one off their shoulder to the floor. Altogether, the meat, as offered for sale, presents anything but an inviting or morketable appearance. Most important, however, is the fact that our quality has, instead of improving, gone back very much during the last two years. The tie* mand.for best trade is a small-boned wether," four- tooth, to weigh 651 b when in prime fatted condition. The complaint reiterated all the morning was that the sheep received '* lacked condition " — that a half-fatted beast, whiub, in its marketable condition, would weigh, say 861 b, is being sent at 701 b. This irregularity is said to be common to all ports, although parcels from Napier and Canterbury nave not gone back quite so much. .^t was, explained that the marked * deterioration in Wellington shipments of this year is partially due to the very wet spring, and consequent lack of fattening properties in the grass and that to fulfil freight engagements condition had to be ignored. But all the same, the prejudice being created against New Zealand mutton will be long and severely felt. Shipments of lamb have gone back in even a greater degree than mutton. Perhaps not over one* third of this season's shipments were fit for the market, and so the prioe has gone down to BJd. A sample purchase of legs of mutton was opened in our presence. The cover was marked "wether," but butchers present positively deolared them to be "old ewe," and then they had been roughly cut off, looking so shrivelled and lean that it was said they could only be sold to some second-grade butchers from Whitechapel. — Post.