COLD STORAGE PROBLEM.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16314, 11 September 1918, Page 7

COLD STORAGE PROBLEM.

prospects for next season. IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY MINISTER. ; (SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON. September 10. The Minister of Imperial Supplies made a statement to-day regarding tho orcspects for the frozen meat and dairy industries, having regard especially to the cold storage problem as affected by the shortage of shipping. As will appear from tho statement, Mr Guthrie hopes that there may be enough ships available to serve New Zealand over next season. References to "cut" or "telescrpod" carcases will be noted. The referenco is to a practice introduced some time ac o of cutting and folding mutton anil lamb carcases in order to savo space m the freezing chambers and cold stores. Tho plan increases the meat capacity of a htore considerably, but, of course, the method is applicable only to mutton. Also, at the time that tho scheme wasintroduced, there wore in the stores quantities of meat which had not been cut and as the cnrcascs were then frozen, tliey have not been cut. The Minister's statement is as folpresent storage accommodation of the Dominion is 6,400,000 freight carcases (freight carcase being GOlb oP any class of meat), and to this should be added the estimated additional storage accommodation to bo erected for thelSlß-19 soason, an amount estimated at 600,000 freight carcases making a total of 7,000,0U0 freight carcases. There were in store on July 31st last 5,250,000 freight carcasefc of meat, but owing to tho telescoping cf the carrases, an allowanco of 150,000 freight carcases should be deducted from this total. It is calculated that bv reason of telescoping, the moat will occupy this much less space. To understand this deduction fully, it must bo understood that the storage capacity is measured always in uncut carcases" whereas the meat is measured by weight only, consequently the 5,250,000 freight carcoses in store will occupy only tho space that would be taken by 4,500,000 . uncut carcases. From the total of four nnd a half million carcases may be deducted amount of meat to be taken away by the steamers in sight. Steamers loading in Septomtiur will lift 419,000 carcases. and it is estimated that .in additional quantity of 887,C00 carcases will be lifted by other ships, less tho amount to bo reserved for dniry produco making a total of 1,306,000 carcasos to be taken out of the stores before tho •nd of this calendar year. To this estimate should be added the extra quantity which it is probable will be shipped becauso of the telescoping of mutton ind lamb carcases, say 150,000 earl 0!?- -j l6 actual store clearance 1,466,000 freight carcases. So that at the end of 1918 tho estimated balance of past season's meat in •tores will be 3,044,000 freight carcases To ascertain t,he actual amount of olcl and new meat in the stores on that' date will have to be added the estimated killings for that part of the coming season before Sn rvv? tho c « Jondar year, say, ■ 540,000 carcases, and to get the real «• « meat an allowanco of 60,000 freight carcases should be r?? f °li, the c .? Pi ng of carcases, making the new killings equivalent in space to 490,000 carcases. The total meat remaining in store—or, rather, the contents in uncut carcases of this meat--at the end of the year will theret? \ e ,freight carcases. •i l'i fe fr, ot h tho total space available, 7,000,000 carcases, and the available spaco to receive the meat for the remainder of .the 1918-19 season will be 3,466,000 freight carcaseß. Mr went on to discuss in much lets exact terms the prospects for the year 1919. "Tho position beyond the end of the year," ho said, "is necessarily obscure, owing to the uncertainty of the wnr conditions. We hf>ve no definite information regarding the shipping relief to be provided during 1919, and until we havo some such information no one can tell the number of ships that will be available, but we nave the assurance that in the allocation of shipping in future, the Australasian trades will receive more consideration than has been given to them in the past. After a most careful examination 9f the prospects for the 1919 season, it appears to me that at the tn, ii °M ul y "*e available freezing space i , J us t about the same as it was ftthe end pf July this year. inio ? killings up till December 31si, 1010, nave already been accounted for ® th® above estimate, and the balance of the season killings will probably amount to 6,600,000 freight carcases, rjor this meat, and also for a considerable quantity of butter, space trill have to be provided. Should tho shipping facilities up'till the end of July 31st, < it' ®^ ua ' for the same period of this year—and we have every reason to believe that this will be 90 —we should load in tho sevon months 39 steamers, lifting 2,652,584 freight car°5 s ®s of meat, as well as 598,831 boxes or butter. In all our calculations we are counting upon new storage being •»_\ a * would emphaaiso the necessity for providing that additional storage. If the storage is built, then the outlook for the season should be jood— at least, there is no reason in view yet w hy producers should bo alarmed. • ,1 be a considerable increase in the amount of meat in store lit the ® n . ( f billing season, but it is estimated that the margin of umoccuP'«a storage available then will be about the same, if not a little greater, tnan at tho present time. This should sufficient for _ tho Dominion's needs at least until tho commencement of the 1919-20 season. .Mr Alasscy in his latest telegrams makes three important points:— ? he sl "PPing outlook j 3 more H/o? C n or7 ' a ?d .' 8 improving. (-) Ho emphasises the necessity for an «i/q Cr u Se \ n co 'd storage space. . {81 Ho advises producers of the Dominion not to bo in n hurry to sell their produco at less than its value. L it should be understood fully bv Reproducers that tho position, as here stated, is dependent entirely upon circumstances ovor which we havo no con"01 - ~ « anything occurs to disturb tne shipping situation, everything may 00 altered. I have been giving this matter very serious attention for some tune, but up till now the position has been so uncertain that I havo deemed it wise to refrain from making a statement to the producers of the Dominion until such time as I felt I had sufficient information, fearing thnt on the one hand I might havo noodlessl.v alarmed them, or that, on the other hand, I might havo given thf»rr. excuse or cause for undue optimism." increased STORAGE AO-OMMO-DATION AT SMITHFIELiX (SPECIAX TO "the PUKSS.'*} TIMARU, September 10. To-day the New Zealand ftefrigerating Company lot a tender i"jr the erection of additional insulated space at their Smithfield works t.a • accommodate 100.C00 freight ewe-ases, which is equal to 150,000 carcr ios of lamb. The successful tenderer v.ia Alr John Munro, of Timaru, and tae contract price was between £15,0j0 and £16,000. QUESTION OF WOOL STORAGE. (SPECIAL TO "THK PRESS.") WELLINGTON, September 10. There is still a large quantity of Mol stored in the Dominion, and it is

not likely that any proportion of this can bo shipped before the now clip, which is noiv in sight, reaches the seaboard. The problem of storage thus confronts woolbrokers and wool-grow-ers, and any sort of storage will not do for wool that haa to ho kept in store for any length of time. Experience shows that absolutely dry storage is necessary, and with the increase in the quantity of wool to be stored, tho provision of this clais of storage is not an easy matter. In "Wellington some of tho wool-brokers are increasing their storage, and, with other facilities that aro available, it is exper-ted that tho difficulty, so far as Wellington is concerned, will be met.