MEAT FREEZING. What Otago is doing.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1485, 10 January 1882, Page 3

MEAT FREEZING. What Otago is doing.

At a meeting held in Christchurch to consider the advisability of starting a meat freezing company, the hon. Mr Holmes said it might interest those present to know what had been done ia Otago in this matter. All the preliminaries had been gone through. An engineer had been sent to Sydney and Melbourne, to examine the works there and make drawings of them. The company has also secured the services of Mr Burt, an eminent mechanical engineer, and from the reports of these gentlemen, it appeared that there were no serious difficulties in the way. The company had been formed with a capital of £20,000. One of Haslam's machines has been ordered, and was on it way from home. It was expected to arrive in about a month. The cost would be £3500 landed. They had secured 20 acres near the cattle yards at Green Island, and plans were being prepared for a building to receive the machinery. In connection with the qixestion of shipping, he might say that the Albion Company had fitted up the Dunedin with a Bell-Coleman machine at a cost of £4000, and contracted to carry 8000 carcases of sheep at 2id per lb. Another vessel with a refrigerating apparatus on board was expected from London. It was hoped that the buildings and machinery would be in working order in January next. The process was a simple one, and he had no doubt of success. It was admitted by all travellers that they never tasted better beef or mutton than they got in New Zealand. If meat of superior quality were sent home, there was no doubt but that it would realise large prizes. When he came here 22 yeai's ago he thought the quality of some of the butter he then tasted was such as could not be surpassed. A dairy of 1000 cows was about to be formed at Edendale, and he himself was going in for dairying. He should not be surprised if the export of dairy produce were to become in the future second only to that of wool.