The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-03-31
HE FACTORIES OF NEW ZEALAND.

pounds Of frozen rabbits are annually
shipped from New zealand 10 London. In
one year lI00opO0 rabbit skins were OK
ported ana such exports now bring In sew
oral hundred thousand dollars annually.
Frozen rabbits are shipped with the fur on.
ana they are. ! doubt not, often sold as
fresh from the warrcns OF the English no
bility
In Big FREEZING Factory
But let MS 20 TO one OF the factories and
Sc just how they prepare this .>ew Aea-
land mutton for the tables Of London New
Zealand has twenty-one meat freezing es-
adjustments, and the largest and o.Aest OF
all Is here at Chrstchurch. II is known
as the Belfast freezing works, having a
capital of 100000 upon which pays
dividends Of per cent II Is co-opeeI-
tive institution, the sheep owners being
the principal stockholders. IL gives them
market for their sheep, working entirely
on commission The sheep are -riven or
shipped to the factory lhey are there
killed, put upon ships and delivered to the
butchers OF London at a fixed charge Of a
penny a pound, and all profits above this
go hAck to the farmers The factory kills
about 5000 sheep every day. shipping un
the average more than n half mnion car
casscs a year.
We take II carriage and ride out to the
works They are within few miles Of
Christchurch. The buildings consist "
great sheds surrounded by paddocSs flicu
with sheep ready for killing and drying
wards, which Mt FIRST sight seem covered
with snow. hut which as we get closer we
sec are spotted with great piles of newly
washed wool We are first taken TO the
sheep yards and watch the men drive the
animals up a passage way 10 the killing
department on the second door. This driy-
Ing Is done by means of deeoys. There
are several old sheep which arc used dav
after day and year after year as the al
vance guard 10 lead their brothers To
slaughter. They start tho procession, aud
the thousands behind shccp-like. follow
chem often 10000 sheep pass up that
roadway IN one dnv.
In the Killing Rooms.
We follow the sheep into the building
The killing room Is several hundred feet
long Il Is a great hall walled With peas.
each holding twenty sheep. The pens face
a central aisle IN which stand the butchers.
The sheep are killed al the rate OF zen
every minute. TueF drag cut the animals
and with their knives KIN them so quickly
that they DO not even Kick. One man has
been known 10 XII 30 sheep la Is day.
bu, me average per honr Is nine sheep for
Alter Killing sheep the butcher hangs it
up on a hook behind him. strips on thc
skln, cuts on the head. dresscs N and
washes Il down with bat water. This h
done so quickly that it takes only seven
minutes from the time the live sheen Is
picked up until IL Is ready FOR freezing
When sheep IS finished the butcher
gives Il shove and the pulley to which ID
Is hooked, running hY gravity an a i,riI,
steel track, carries IN M 20 the cooliu.,
room From now on Il Is not handled untii
IL is ready for shipment The work II dome
So rapidly that there Is long stream ol
earcassrs steadily lowing out ~ the
butcher shop into the cooling room and
I later on from there down 10 the freezing
chambers,
In the Freezina Chambers.
/ After having been cooled forty-eIrht
! hours that the animal heat may go out OF
/ them. the earcasses being weighed as they
go, take another trip on their pulleys into
/ the freezing chambers. There are dozen
! Of these, each having storage capacity OF
about 100000 sheep. Each chamber covers
! nue.hfth of an acre. aud II You will Imagine
/ n soOd-sized city lot Enclosed Ia walls o,
I frozen brine. coated With snow and allied
/ vita carcasses OF mutton hanging down
\ from the ceiling so near one another that