ENGLAND'S MEAT SUPPLY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2106, 7 January 1886, Page 4

ENGLAND'S MEAT SUPPLY.

,\ AUK THK COI.ONIKS All!. 1 : TO »Ol.\ f fHH Vi:XBO PKOULKU ? -I'll UTtCAL WE'rt.i OX thi: KunjEcr. (From tlieFin;uicial Now*, October^ 1 ).) " Yks," *aid jovhl-f.ic.id John S. Fitter, in Leadenh ill M.irkot, to a representative of the Financial News yesterday, " I'm a Fair Trade man <m tliu meat question— but, iiiind you, only against foieigti countrii -s. Our colonial .ire able, and can Mipplv Eugland with meat if they me encouraged to rfo HD."' The reporter called on Mr Fittei on the recommend ition of tho New Zetland LL r >.m mid Mercantile Agency Company to olit.un inform ition on the rapidly-developing ni<>at trade lteLwocn New Zealand and Euglind, particularly in the rnuttui Ini' 1 . Mr Fitter has h,rn 30 ye.it.s in tin* business, and bis utterances are tliurefou tlu u*-»ulc '«f th ■ most pi.icticil experience. When asked how New Zealand mutton competed with English mutton, Mr Fitter placed in the hands of tho reporter his ptinted rotjil lists for both incite, which are as follows :—: — NEW 7.Eir,AN!>. Per Ib. Sheep or sides SJkI Hind quartet • 7d •> Fore quat tors 5d Legs with nocks and breasts O.VI Lsgs 83 Saddles, loins, and shoulders (Hd Shoulders, with necks . . 8u Shoulders, with breasts Md Necks pW Breasts . . oyi E.VOLISH. Per lb. Sheep or sides . . . . 8d Hind quarters .* 9 d Fore quarters . . . 7 d Legs 10 d Saddles %it& loins . ... 94-10 d Do do, trimmed . 1010 d Shoulders 8 d Necks 7sd-8d Breasts nd Snet 6d ■ " Now, how as to quality ?" Mr Fitter was asked. " Well," he replied, " I will not say that New Zealand mutton surpasses English ; but I do assure you there ia very little difference. In olden timeß we used to think that to freeze meat was to ruin it ; but we have got over that. The only disadvantage is that where meat is fro/en the thawing-out process id apt to result in loss of juice. It U just like freezing water in a bottle — the expansion will burst the bottle. Freezing meat bursts the fibres nioro or less, and the consequent contraction in the thawing must necessarily nqneeze out the juice. This, however, is at once remedied by reversing the order of hanging the meat— say a leg, and additionally so by scorching the shank, thus hardening it, and preventing the juice from passing out. Frozen meat, liko English, improves by hanging. The hind quarter, haunch and leg, of frozen meat should be hung by the flaps, the knuckles -hanging down, and the loins and saddles also by the flaps, giv ing them a horizontal position. The meat should not be soaked in water for purposes of thawing, but hung in n. dry draughty place." " Does the demand for New Zealand mutton grow?" was asked. " Decidedly. It only requires to be tried to remove all prejudice against it. Let me show you English mutton and New Zealand mutton sido bj' Hide."' Mr Fitter produced two legs of mutton. One seemed whiter, f.itter, and more plump to the reporter. It was the English leg. The other had a slightly d.ukMi hue, was not coated with so much Lit, and had Homewhat tho appearance nf having walked a long way. Mr Fitter explained that it was not an average leg of the New Zealand sort, but he was mostfcmphaticin declaring that it wan of the best of mutton, perfectly Bweiit, and'when served up only distinguishable from the best English mutton by the slightly darkish hue of the moat owing to the freezing. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. 1 Queen Victoria-sheet, are devoting their energies to supplying the English market with muat from New Zealand. The New Zealand trade is developing with extraordinary rapidity, tho figures thus for this year showing an increase of over 100,000 carcases over the quantity brought to England List year. Prom the same section tho increase of 1881 over 1883 was 240 per cent., while the falling-otf since in the trade with Australia is decided, as will be seen from the following figures supplied by tho New Zealand Company, and tunning down to September 30, compared with the same period hst year :— 1884. 18SS. Australia . 92,931 7!),53S New Zealand.. 313,993 393,40") River Plat© ... 81.068 KU.4GI 487,992 633,904 The Australian branch of the business is in the hands of Messrs Leishman, Inglis, 'And Co., and the River Plate is in the hands of the River Plate Fresh Meat Company. Notwithstanding this extraordinary showing ia favour of New Zealand^ the market for this meat, mutton entirely, has been going through what is considered in the trade a season of great depression. Home supplies, both of mutton and beef, have been plentiful, to say nothing of the augmentations by importations fiom the continent nnd Anieiica, as well as the colonies. While piime Scotch sheep have been sold at Smithfield M.irket of late for days at a time as low as 5d per lb, and sides of town-killed beef have changed hands at 4d per lb, the relative fall in the price of frozen meat, as these importations me called, has not been proportionate. This explains the above figures, and shows th.it these colonial meats have a firm footing, and have come to .stay. Mr Fitter supplied the reporter with tho retail prices of Nun- Zealand mutton at this time last year as follows :—: — Per ft. Sheep and sides . . . . 7|d Hind quarters 9d Foie quarters 7d Legs, with necks or breasts . 8W Legs «Ad Saddles, loins, and slioiilduis B^d Shoulders, with necks or breasts . . 7 J .d Necks .... 7d Breasts . . .. »"»d The variation in the price of English mutton at the same pei iod was only about thi oe farthings one way or tho other. It will, however, be seen that the mci eased supply of mutton from New Zealand has brought into tho English market this particular meat at a most appreciable reduction in the price par pound. The beef coining from New Zealand, Mr Fitter explained, was fully equal to English beef, and is in great demand, but the supply is not anything liko constant. Owing to conditions necessary, the beef problem is not bo easy for New Zetland bullocks to come up to the requiicmcnts of the English market, demanding not only compactness of fiamn and prime condition, but a weight of from 080 to SOOlbs when dead. Sheep are all wethers or maiden ewes, Merino sheep weighing from ofi to (541bs and cross-bred from G4 to SOlbs. These conditions m respect to sheep are reudily met by farmers, the cross-bied commanding the readiest sale. So largely is this frozen meat business entered into, that the great dealers in it arc pieparing \ast refi iterators for its reception. The principal dealers are Messrs Ward and StimHon and Henry S. Fitter, in Smithfield Market, and Messrs John Fitter and Son, in Leadenhall Market. Mr John S. fitter took the representative of the Financial News through the refrigerators he is conducting under the. Main Avenue of the market, and shewed him a large engine and all the nece.-sary machinery for the making of cold ."ir on the Lightfoot process. This is pumped into several large chambers fitted up for ? the reception of the meat. These extensive refrigerators have been constructed in anticipation of the frozen meat trade expanding itself thioughout the whole of England, as Mr Fitter declares he h.is ample evidence to provo from provincial ' correspondence. The following figures show now this trade has grown from its ■tart in Australia and New Zealand :— AUSTRALIA. Carcases Pieces Mutton. Beef. 1880 . 400 a quantity 1881 17,275 1,37:5 1882 r>7,25u 1,003 1883 . 03,733 7">3 1884 111,745 2,389 Totals 258,409 5,548 NEW £E\LANIJ. Carca&eh Pipces Mutton. Beef. 1882 8,839 — 1883 ... . 120,893 728 1884 412,349 1,723 542,081 2,4.->8 Totals ... 792,489 8,001 When i( 19 borao in mind that at the

present time supplies lulii of beef ;Mid triuttnii fr mi \inuiiua, tin 1 Continent, and Home dlHtiitit" .-re abi.nd nit, uxvl show no *i,,'in of diminution, \t mint If wondeied at tli't t!)i-i cn)i>niil trade can h->ld it* own. li wii Continental jK.rt", in mldttHu to Ino "lu'ip, ntnaidunblo shipment of mutton in cue* i-.es have htvn Unvoted lnthei, \>iiidi are being ie:iii-ed at l'«vv ptiivs. Them is, beside* .all thi", to coiiti ml ag.iin»t prejmlno \>lul'i, .ico 'mJiiik to t!io i vidi-JK >• of inuNt^il s-iiuii, cum it M'» >iiiu h lie ;i«ciihi'tl to Kn^]i"iimi i n .im to tln'ir c.iok->. Tlie nnstoi would no doubt like to n-couniie tln> cu'Wint,' colnniiil fiadu, but hU cook }•* fiMiful of tii« dark lnu>. S!in know^ that '•.lien tin- le£ of mutton or joint of lvef riMfhiM tin' tablt! a little. (ff colour, tin* inastt'i en mi-truss will not st >|> to di-cn^ the in itter on patiiotic piound-. Sh.^will t,'uL In i" "blowing up ' jiiit tlio !>.iine -<u *iv tin' bntchi-rs. Ju-t (\l jirrsent the -upply <-f fi. >/(>n nie.it i< in e\ce«.N of the di'in.ind. wlnle the steamships Done and Kaikoura. fi.mi tho New Zr 1 '.ittl p <rt«, the (-!aniiiiii> fr<»m Mclliouiiio, Riid the Zenobia from the RuiM IM.iti', aie tm tliou n\.iv heie with large cii/ie-<. Fioni tlio Mau^'litci ing until the meat rcieliei the Knpli-di uiaiket, the tmi6 \ar : es fiom 40 to (JO clujc. In tin-, connection, it uifiv be well to call attention to the growth of itnpoitation in the past ten vimin of all vnt>. of mo:.ts into Kngl.md. The following is tho state of the case expressed in valuations :—: — 1875. 18S4. Fresh Beef . £97,13« £2,377.177 Fresh Mutton — 1,411,051 Bacon and Hnnn . . 0,982,470 8,740,881 PoultiyaniGame 328,044 (570,'i00 Live Cattle 4,885, 4C2 8,271.020 The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company oxpres.i the fullest confidence in the growth of the business in which thoy are ho largely interested, predicting that at no distant date the frozen meat trade with New Zealand alone will reach gigantic propm tions. Like those who deal duectly .with this meat, they expect that when the now-p\ioting prejudice against frozen meat hliall have been overcome, tha better half of their obstacles will have been removed.