MR J. C. FIRTH ON THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.
While in Sydney lately pushing his pumice insulator, which has been successfully adopted at the Ocean Beach freezing works, Mr J. 0. Firth was interviewed re frozen meat, and in reply to the question “ Will the market not he swamped if Australia staffs sending Home mutton in large quantities,” said YV ell, as for the market, I am glad that the Manchester people, with their usual enterprise, are not going to let the grass grow on the hanks of the canal they have just opened, and that they are already casting about for means of utilising it. I see from cablegrams that they are are proposing to establish a line of steamers between Manchester and Australasia. Such a line cannot fail to be of very great advantage, both to Australasia and the many millions of population clustering round the city of Manchester. It will give the means of bringing frozen Australian merino mutton within the reach of the swarming population of Lancashire and Yorkshire, not to speak of other districts a little further removed. You will have this advantage by taking hold of such a proposal, that you will very largely dispense with that curse of modern trading, a surplus of middlemen. The Yew Zealand frozen meat trade is assuming very large proportions, but it is in danger of getting very much into the hands of London rings. Hitherto all Yew Zealand mutton has been shipped to London,' and a condition of things has grown up there which is not conducive to the cheap distribution of the mutton amongst the masses of the population in the Yorth of England. In the first place, the London middlemen in that as in all other trades levy' heavy tolls.
And then transhipment to Liyebpoob Manchester, Blackburn, Oldham, Stockport, and other Lancashire towns involves additional expense, which, after the charges for that and redistribution have been paid, leaves practically no margin at all for the New Zealand sheep-producer. In this Manchester scheme,' New South Wales has an opportunity of getting clear of the obstacles to the distribution of their mutton which the middlemen interpose. Frozen mutton now is well enough known in England for the New South Wales people interested in the trade to take.possession with very little difficulty of the enormous market which the Lancashire and Yorkshire towns afford. The only competitor in their way at the present time is the Plate mutton; and though the Plate mutton is generally regarded as inferior to Australian merino, yet with singular enterprise the people handling the Plate mutton, have not been slow to supply the wants eff the Lancashire populations by sending their cargoes direct. Now there is no reason why New South Wales should not follow in their footsteps and beat them in the race. The great points are to freeze the mutton properly and convey it to these distant parts safely and cheaply. If this be done, then with enterprise and courage there can be no doubt whatever that the happiest results both to the manufacturing consumers and the pastoral producers of mutton will abundantly follow.”
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Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 51, 17 March 1894, Page 6
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522MR J. C. FIRTH ON THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE. Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 51, 17 March 1894, Page 6
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