THE BACON INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 52, 17 February 1902, Page 2

THE BACON INDUSTRY.

It will be remembered that a short time ago we advocated the formation of one 00-eperative Bacon Company for the purpose of dealing with the whole of the output from Taranaki. Some interest was taken in the matter at the time, which, unfortunately, goon died out. Confirmation of the wisdom of the course advocated come? from the remarks of a special reporter of the New Zialand Times. After a cireful investigation of the position of the hog industry, as he terms it, writing from Palmeraton North, he takes Home what of a pessimistic view of the matter, although he considers the position of the industry as little short of remarkable. After referring to the impetus given to the North Island Co-operatiya Bacon Company, as eyidenced by co-operative b.icon companies springing up in nil parts ef the southern end of the North Island, the writer compares the conditions under which the butter industry was brought to its present perfection and success with those which attach to the bacon industry. Premising that it was evidently though? by dairy farmers that the sam» conditions applied to bicon as to butter, he pointed out that refrigeration had brought the London market to the colonial butter maker, and that owing te the system developed by th« Government the dairy produce of tbe world, with the result that New Zealand colony had been placed on a leve with the greatest dairying countres of tbe dairymen are treatsd by tho produce agents with a liberality never before heard of in the history of colonial trade. With the bicon industiy, however, ha points oat, matters were different, the State having allowed the hog producer some indepsndenc, th« most disastrous results ensu'ng. At each bacon factory a different system of manufacture prevailed, no gingU factory being strong enough to rcj<ot inferior stock or exploit an over s«a

market. Consequently irreguhr and oftun inferior bacon flooded local markets, stocks being left on hand crowding the store rooms till the works were shut down in tho very height of the season. Isolated attempts to cater for Australian markets were S3 irregular, tint coupled with inferior quality, a loss to shippers w«g the result. At the present time, ke adds, two Tara- j naki bacon factories are full of bacon, for which thay ctnoot find a sale and ! are closed down. On the other hand 1 the North Island Company, established ; under the controlling influence of the Ghriscchurch Meat Company, owing to its being c oaductsd on scientific lines from its inception, has introduced high class pig products to the London and | Australian markets, with most satisfactory results, owing to the being uniform, and is able to develop the i bacon trade of the colony to the mutual advantage of itself and consumers. The main point of success is stated to , depend to a greater extant on concen- < tratiou in the work of manufacture even than is necessary with the butter trade, and then by rejecting inferior quality meat and adopting a system of , eareful grading tho business can be placed on a sound footing, otherwise the result must be disastrous to producers and the trade.