The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1882

Temuka Leader, Issue 929, 18 March 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1882

A Telegram from Christchurch states that Mr John Grigg, of Longbeach, has ben. elected, Chairman of the Canterbury Frozen Meat. Company. A better selection, could npt have been, made, Mr Grigg is not only an able man. of business, but an. enthusiast in everything that has any tendency to the advancement of the agricultural and pastoral affairs of Canterbury, and indeed of the Colony at large. He is a farseeing, pushing, energetic, enterprising man, and when these qualifies combine with great capacity for business and earnestness, of purpose in, the chosen, ■ chief of any enterprise, it mast if success is attainable. It is no exaggeration to say that Grigg possesses all these qualities. His home, which is the finest and most homelike residence in, perhaps New Zealand, is sixteen miles distant from. Ashburton, and yet it is net an infrequent occurrence to, see Mr Grigg drive into Ash-. burton, remain at the monthly meeting of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association until 10, o’clock at night, and then return, home. This he has fre quently done to our own knowledge, in the middle of winter. It may not be understood why he should have occasion to remain until 10, o’clock at night, at, monthly meetings of tne. Agricultural and Pastoral Association, in, a com r munlly like this where it is not easy to get, a quorum of a similar Association, together once in, six or twelve months The explanation is that in. Ashburton, a. debating, society, composed, solely of members of the. Association, exists, which meets once every month for the purpose of discussing Agricultural and Pastoral matters, Mr Grigg. was the leading light of this, society, at which he read some essays on farming. &c., which have have received considerable attention. We refer to these matters to show what an energetic enthusiast ho is in. the cause of progression, and wo feel confident that he will go to. work with characteristic energy in making the Frozen Meat Company a success. That the Company will eventually succeed there can be no doubt, but at the same, time we are afraid it has a good deal of up hill work before it. It would appear from, recent reports from Home that there is a combination amongst English butchers and others interested in the meat market to do.all in their power to discourage the introduction of colonial meat into the English market. This is quite natural. Of course they would xathetj have it all their own way, and they will go very far in having it so, if determined steps are not taken to pre-

vent them. To do this it is necessary for colonial meat companies either to open markets in the principal cities in England for the sale of meat, or else to send home a thoroughly competent colonist to act as their agent. The office should not be entrusted to Englishmen. It should only be given to a trustworthy colonist who is largely interested in the Colony, and on whose abilities reliance could be placed. If something like this is done the exportation of meat from this Colony is bound to become a flourishing industry, but so long as it is left to the mercy of the people who have had the management of the business up to the present, its chances are precarious. In proof of this statement we have only to refer to the experience of the past few months. The first shipment of frozen moat sent from Australia met with an enthusiastic reception and was bought up wo believe at 11^d and one shilling per pound. Letters from Mr Coster, manager of the Bank of New Zealand who happened to be in London at the time and from other gentlemen stated that finer mutton they ha.d never seen, and it was all at once concluded that tl\e exporta tion of meat by the refrigerating process bad been proved an undoubted success. The more recent shipments, however, have not been so successful, in fact they cannot be. looked upon otherwise than as failures,. Instead ot the meat being in excellent condition as ii\ the beginning, there were any number ot faults found with, it, and it had to, be : old cheap. Now, our opinion is that the moat was all right, and that the faults were found: with it, purposely by the interested ring in order to shut, it out cf the market. If the truth, were known we feel confident that it would be found that some these w,hp bought it cheap, sold it afterwards as real newly-killed English mutton. The first step for the Meat Company to take, therefore, is to establish a market for the sale of the meat, which cannot be influenced by trade jealousy, and. place it reliable management.