FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1076, 22 August 1883, Page 2

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Interesting Lietter. Important Invention; [_PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.} ; ,/ WELLINGTON, August 21.' The following is an extract from a letter dated London, 11th July, 1883, from Mr J : Reid, of ;Elderslio, Paniaru* /to an received yesterday;-“ The Fenstanton arrived with her cargo of mutton in splendid order. I got a number of gentlemen to go down with me to'the docks, and we inspected the machinery and meat in the chambers. My;friends were both amazed and delighted with the simplicity of the whole affair. The sheep looked beautiful in the hold, all lying stacked in their- white calico bags, with a slight coating of snow' over them.’ I got one of my own, and had .the bag stripped off,. It looked as • if it had been killed only the, day before. They are selling rapidly—soo to .1000 each morning at Smithfield, at 6£d per pound average, and most salesmen there with whom I have had several conversations tell me that; it is " the finest mutton which ever came to the London market; that they would be very glad if they could depend upon regular supplies, so that they might make with public institutions and; other la%e cohsufners, but at present they cannot make such contracts, owing to the intermittent nature of, the supplies. I informed them that our capabilities of producing that - article were very great, but we could not get ships to take it aw a}’ ; that whenever that difficulty was overcome, and plenty of vessels fitted with refrigerating machinery', wo could send them large and regular supplies. I am convinced that this trade is now completely assured, and that it will develop into large proportions.”—Mr W. J. Jackson, the late chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board, writing from London to a friend in this city, sends the following interesting and important information relative to the latest improvements in regard to the meat freezing apparatus “I saw Mr Larkworthy, who told me that a firm at Birmingham had patented an improvement in the machinery "for refrigerating purposes, so that it can be worked for less than one-half the cost of that on the old principle.”,: The new machinery will take one-half the room, and use about half the quantity of fuel, and hayo power enough to freeze a double" quantity of mutton or. beef. Consequently* the charges for freight * will be considerably reduced. An order has been given to supply 7" new machinery to one of the New Zealand Shipping Company Is vessels, and it is expected that it will beifixed in two months! time. This should be interesting news to the colony at large, and prove of great benefit to Now Zealand. .