The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 950, 15 December 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1881.

Mb Carter has contributed to tltf Standard a valuable letter giving his personal observations of the sale of frozen meat in the London market, His experience confirms the opinion which generally prevails that it is practical to establish a good trade in this export, but that difficulties must be encountered and prejudices conquered before tlio traffic becomes a large and remunerative one. The marked success of the Protos' shipment gave almost an undue impetus, to the frozen meat enterprise, (succeeding cargoes, however, were not equally succesful in commanding a fair market price, and exporters were naturally disappointed. The first success and the subsequent failure have both been useful in their way towards establishing the trade, for while the former encouraged capitalists to launch out, the latter compelled tbem to alter the conditions under which they were, conducting the enterprise in order to protect thems Ives from loss, one marked result from tbe fall of prices in the London market was a permanent reduction of freights. The obstacles which struck Mr Carter when he virited Smithfield market were all of a character that may be overcome, Fir.it, there is the popular prejudice against foreign meat on the part of the domestic Briton; secondly, the Home butcher likes to buy live meat,, so that he may make a small profit out of the hide and offal of beasts; thirdly, the meat from want of accurate freezing and proper thawing is sometimes soft and flabby in appearance; .and fourthly, it arrives in London at irregular intervals, at one time the market being full of it'and at' others none of it being obtainable.. Time and perseverance will no doubt remove all these hindrances"to obtaining in the 'London'market the fair value of the i meat sent into it limu the Auvtralasian L 1 *,1,1 li.

butchers will becomu reconciled. to 'admitting frozen meat as a'portion of their ordinary stock, and. instead; \of making the worst of it as they did when they retailed it'at 5d and'6d per lb, they will, for their own sakes, make the best of it. Again, every.year-the art of freezing and thawing will, by ■ practical experiment, become belter understood, and each season willsee nieat placed in a more presentable condition in the market. Lastly, the supply of it will gradually become full and regular, and even if there should happen to be 100 many cargoes arriving during one ; month in London, and too few in another, a proper- storing house in the neighborhood of the docks will obviate this difficulty. As first it appeared as if the trade could be established without waiting for she usual process of ilevelopmeiit and adaptation which characterises most new discoveries. It was just as wall that a fall in prices checked a too rapid extension of it and forced a steadier and more prudent growth,