The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1883. THE MEAT MARKET AT HOME.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1117, 26 November 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1883. THE MEAT MARKET AT HOME.

Recent cablegrams from London inform us that the market there for frozen; meat is in. a . somewhat glutted; state. This .might have ,v depressing effect,upon.,those embarked .upon the meat industry :in 'New land were it not known-in well informed circles that tbo trade is really : biit ih tts 5 infancy at present. It may : be as well, /however, to . tell ’ our readers what “ Anglo-Australian,” the welj-infornied writer in the European Mail upon Colonial topics, has to say about it. Writing in the Mail, of September 21 he remarks upon the ; fact of some meat' which had been supplied to the London paupers Unions not being in very good condition^which, he says, gave rise to a great deal of: small talk and comment. He then goes on to say “ 1 find the old complaint as rife as ever that although such very large quantities of excellent colonial meht-constnntly arrive here, and are immediately and eagerly bought up, the great mass of the public are still practically ignorant of its very, existence, and were it not for. the float-: ing literature, existing on this subject, would scarcely know indeed that such an article is ever imported here at all. This is not right, and it is an evil that ought to be systematically exposed and persistently attacked until it ; is finally abolished. . I have often made really careful enquiries on this head, and np to the present time have never once succeeded in inducing any butcher to confess that he ever had such a thing ns Australian meat on his premises. The fact is that until a fair number of retail depots for the prompt and direct sale of colonial beef and mutton aro opened in the metropolis, and in the principal towns and cities of the United Kingdom, I much fear that the Australian fresh meat trade will still remain in an undeveloped condition. I am sure, indeed, from the uniform result of careful personal inquiries, extending oyer a long period

of time, and covering a very Wide range of locality, that could such depots be only opened near the principal railway termini, tho butchers as a body would soon have to alter their tone, and would in all probability in a very short lime begin to avow that they, too, keep Australian beef and mutton—a thing that.at’ present nothing will induce them to do. It is clear enough, I think, that if we conld but bring about such a consnmation as this, enormous, extending, and enduring good would be done, not only to Australia, but to the whole of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom, and the trade would then soon reach truly gigantic proportions. At present it is quite a ‘close thing’ among the butchers, and, unless some very energetic measures are taken outside them, I see no prospect of any change for the better.” With such testimony ns the above we do not think there is much cause for alarm about the future of the trade. The London butchers have been up to their tricks, and palming off our meat npon their customers as best English and Scotch, and charging accordingly. Hence it is not a very difficult matter for the market to become glutted nnder such cbndi-, Hops. Bat all the, same, there is strong evidence that if we desire to expand the frozen meat trade, an effort will,have to bo made to introduce the meat direct to the consumer at .. Home under its proper name and price.: The proposition of; Q.E.8., published in our last issue, is opportune and should be carried into effect if possible. It is, in fact, just what is recommended by the writer ,we Lave quoted above, arid Whoso opinion is certainly entitled to weight. So long as the London dealers are allowed to maintain a monopoly, so long will shippers be, prevented from ; receiving the full value of their shipments. " The. tniddleliien make a substantial profit, which would go into the pockets of colonial farmers if a company for the sale of their meat was established at Home. The matter is one of great .importance to- New Zealand, anil no doubt riioro will be heard about it before long.