THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1912. THE MEAT TRADE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10533, 20 January 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1912. THE MEAT TRADE.

An important conference of representatives of the ''various meat freezing companies in New Zealand is to be held next week. The object of the conference is to discuss matters affecting the interests of the trade in gene-raT and the distribution of frozen meat in particular. It will be "remembered that when, the Produ<£ era' Association 1 was formed, and a representative was sent Home, we pointed out that the parties specially interested were those engaged in the meat freezing industry, and tliut, without the active co-operatipn of these, the work of a producers' representative would be of a negative cslmraoter. No circumstance has arisen to cause us to alter that opinion. The freezing companies, for their part, have recognised the importance of improving the condition oF affairs at the other end, and with this in view hav;> secured the services of Dr W. V. Robinson, a gentleman who has an intimate acquaintance with the trade, and who knows the

disaljiiliticK from which it suffers. Dr Robinson is at present in New Zealand, and will confer with the representatives of the freezing companies in a few days' time. In the course of an interview with a Wellington paper, the .doctor stated that the. authorities of the Port of London will undertake to provide now and adequate dock and cold storage accommodation, provided they have assurance, which will be forthcoming, that it will be utilised by our traders. Dr Robinson lays much stress on the value of proposed refrigerating sorting sheds into which shins can disohrrgel their frozen--cargo in bulk. This

would, as the Evening Post pants . out, be a great inwrovement on the J existing >vs,tem of "sorting for j marks 1 ' in'the open air, a practice j that must make for discolouration , and weening of the meat; but it is I not practicable to devise a system by which "sorting" may be rendered tin-, necessary? For instance, if the meat companies pool and grade their con:iffinmeats, each shipment could be j discharged at the other end straight into the cold store without regard to marks, and account sales adjusted on realisation from day to day of the several lines of graded meat. The .ship's manifest would show the grades and number of carcases in each eortsign»merrt, and the consignor would, at the end of the day's sales, be credited with his proportion of proceeds. If, as Dr Robinson, seems to have reason to beh'eve, the auth-

orities of the.Port of London can be induced to provide all the improved dock and store facilities we may require, why not daily sales by auction at all points of vantage, with graded carcases on. view, the salesmen of the associated companies guaranteeing to deliver at cold store, say, one or five hundred carcases-of any of the grades- exhibited? In this way the needs of the biggest dealer or the smallest, retailer, -would be met,, /and the charges of the middle men perceptibly reduced, all round. Di- Robinson gets to the heart of the matter when he aims to minimise handling and exposure of the meat. The day will come when our meat will appear in London with its' ''bloom" untarnished, but the fime is not yet. We note one cause of deterioration as well as dear transport that is not referred to. Why may not the associated meat companies so arrange that a sihip may come alongside and be filled to the hatches in one operation? As it is, the ships (have in many cases to tramp from por'£ to port, and at each port .hatches are taken off and the meat in th< holds must suffer wath.each exposure, .Besides this it is. plain that, with •;■« full cargo at each leading port tin freight charges should be less that I the.rates ruling under the. existing sv.sterri. ' ,