FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13905, 2 December 1910, Page 2

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

» NEW ZEALAND COMMITTEE IN LONLON. satisfactorTnegotiations. {TKOM OCR OW.V roRHESPO*. DKNT.I LONDON, October 21. Mr W. D. Lysnar, the Mayor of Gisborne, lias succeeded, before his departure for home to-day, in bringing to a head the investigations upon -which he hats been engaged in connection with the handling and distribution of New Zealand- frozen produce in London. The main iVport, which was drawn up by Mr Lysnar himself, was submitted to a committee consisting of Messrs Lvsuar, H. H. Wall, and J. C. Field (nil of Poverty Bay), Mr L. H. McHardy (Hawke's Bay), and Mr H. F. Recce (Canterbury), and that committee has now signed its report, in which it recounts tbe whole of its negotiations and investigations. Though it can hardly be said that any definite results have been reached, the report contains much interesting matter, and clears the air considerably for further action if the companies in New Zealand desire to prosecute the matter. The committee in general endorses practically the whole of the conclusions which Mr Lysnar arrived at. It considers the system of sorting produce in tlie ship's hold is a bad one. The working of cargo with uncovered hatches is also bad, and is largely the result of the system of using winches and chains instead of the elevator. Borne members of the committee who saw shoots being used for the discharge of meat, discovered that practically every carcase that was sent down the shoot was damaged to some extent, according to weight, and in some cases the skin was actually broken.' A large number of the barges which were used for carrying the meat up to London Avere quite unfit for use. and many of the vans in which the meat was transported to the markets and throughout the city were uninsulated. Out of 27 carts which ■were tinder observation at one time, 20 were open carts with loose tarpaulins, one had a covered hood, and six were insulated vans. One carrying company j which was f-iit-tionod admitted that it I possessed no insulated vans at all. ' Under favourable conditions it took 2} hours for a van to travel from the docks to (Smithfield, but the committee questioned drivers who had been at the docks from 8 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon, and still had not a full load. One man from 10 in the morning to 4.1.. p.m. had only got 98 out of his 100 carcases. Tn regard to the handling of meat in the holds, one ship which was working from 3 holds was found to be employing 19. men altogether, whereas if the meat was sorted in a sorting shed they could have unloaded in half tbe time, and with very much less labour. The railway lines aro not used at all for taking meat into iSmithtiekl from the London docKS, and the committee is strongly of. opin-' in that if the Victoria Dock is to remain the permanent unloading place for New Zealand meat, arrangements should be made for it to be railed instead of carted to Smithfield. There is not sufficient storage capacity at Smithfield—all the stores in Lontlon will only accommodate 2,750,000 carcases—whereas the New Zealand works alone, the report states, have a storage capacity of 1,788,000. This is a defect which the committee thinks ought to be tackled, and it has directed special attention to it. THE PORT OF LIVERPOOL.' As regards tho utilisation of tho Port of Liverpool as tho main port of discharge for New Zealand meat, the committee thinks it would be absolutely necessary that the port should; placo a wharf and upper-storey freezing accommodation at tlio disposal of the Dominion, as has been dono for Canada. Under present arrangements it would be necessary for all New Zealand meat to be carted across the road to tho stores. Thero is a general complaint among the parties interviewed in England regarding the number of small shipments of meat which are sent from New Zealand, and the committee also says something in criticism of the practice of allowing more than one cargo of New Zealand meat to arrive in the same port at the same time. The committee strongly advises that the London authorities should be dissuaded from leasing their cold storage and berthing to any person or firm except to a particular country for the purpose of centralising its products. Lord Devonport, chairman of the Port of London Authority, in response to representations made by the deputation of the committee, stated that the chief engineer of the Authority would prepare plans and estimates for the erection of cold storage equipment of tho most up-to-date character on an approved spot in the docks controlled by the Port Authority—a spot which would be most central and convenierit for the distribution of frozen produce over the whole of the metropolitan area and to inland points. The committee itself is of opinion that the South-West India Dock should be utilised for the purpose of discharging New Zealand produce, and should be improved by deepening, so that vessels of any size might enter. Provision should also be made for the unloading of three New Zealand ships at once. This dock is stated to be within one and a-half hours' drive of Smithfield, as compared with two and three-quarter hours to the Victoria Dock, where produce is at present discharged. The Tyser Company has intimated that if proper provision is made there, it will be glad to use that dock, and other New Zealand companies were sympathetic, though they questioned whether the change could be effected with beneficial results. The committee is altogether verypleased with the results ol its labours, and more than gratified with the manner in which its advances have been received by the parties interested. Both the New Zealand .Shipping Company nnd tbe Shaw, .Savill and Albion Company agree that there is much ■ ! lault to be found with some of the i barges which are used in lightering the j meat irom the docks to London. They | write .—■•' Our strong recommendation j to New Z. alander*. would be to make j an effort to diminish the number of . separate parcel*., and to discontinue the excessive splitting up of these par- ] eels to numerous marks. This involves J much handling, which is very detri- } mental to the condition of the meat."' j The Superintendent of the Shaw, j Savill and Albion Company considers j vci*y much would have to be done to j make it either bale or advisable to run their .steamers up tin* river to tbe j South-West India Dock. There would i also be considerable additional expenditure.