The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 778, 27 May 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1881.

A Southekn paper has just published an admirable letter from London, describing the arrival of the Protos.. The subject of. frozen meat is ono of vital interest to this district, because, although the Wairarapa may not yet be ripe for exporting, sooner or later it must take advantage of this new outlet, for produce. Our readers will agree with us that the sooner we are ready to make the experiment the better for us. We are aware that many of our leading men are watching with interest the development of the traffic, with the intention of initiating the movementjin this district as soon as a favorable opportunity of taking action presents itself. We make no apology, therefore, for returning to an old subject, one to which we have frequently devoted space onformer occasions, believing that every detail in connection with the trial shipment is of special interest.to every settler in the district who looks about to discover sources of future prosperity. We gather from the letter to which we refer that the Protos arrived in London on the afternoon of January 20, when a metropolitan meat salesman went on board to test the quality of the meat. The time of arrival was most opportune, the London meat market, owing to snowstorms interrupting railway traffic, being very much understocked. The engineer in charge of the vessel explained that he had met with no difficulty in maintaining a freezing temperature in tho hold throughout the voyage, though tho freezing apparatus was .suspended by a severe storm on one occasion for 2G hours. It appears that the chambors had been only half-filled with carcasses and the officer in question expressed an opinion that his work would have been lighter, and the results more certain if

the chambers had been more closely packed, When the hatches were opened on tins afternoon we refer to, and the first sheep encased in its bag produced, the metropolitan expert at once pronounced it good—in fact, n perfect sheep. Five hundred carcases wore conveyed to Smithficld the following morning, and before 10 a.m. all were sold at 4s Gd per stone of BH>, the market price of English meat that day being 5s '2d per stone. Possibly a better price might have been obtained for the frozen meat if the sheep had not been in some instances; out of shape from a careless and too hurried a method of packing, They would also have sold to more advantage if'they had been thawed previous to placing them in the market, as it was found that there was a certain amount of discoloration about the meat, which disappeared as soon as it was thawed. On the following day, Saturday, 100 more of the sheep were sold, and the balance held over for the next week, when they were placed with equal readiness, The company will probably provide a thawing chamber for future shipments, so that they can put their meat into the market in the most presentable manner. Some six quarters of beef were included in the cargo of the Protos, which sold at 7d per pound and was much admired by'the London butchers. On future occasions it is very probable that the London market price for meat may be less favorable than it was in January, but against this may be set a reduced freight consequent on a full cargo being substituted for a half one, so that the proportion of profit is likely to he maintained. When an improved depot, with a thawing chamber, is'obtained the profit may possibly be enhanced. Slowly but surely the frozen meat traffic will raise the price of sheep andcattle throughput this colony, and.the stimulus given thereby to graziers will rescue this and other districts from the depression from which it has suffered so severely during the past two years,