INSULATED TONNAGE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16470, 13 March 1919, Page 6

INSULATED TONNAGE.

AUSTRALIA'S PREFERENCE OVER

NEW ZEALAND,

(special TO "THB FBESS.")

WELLINGTON, March 12.

In the allocation of tonnage for the United Kingdom, has Australia an advantage over New Zealand ? The question occupied the attention of Mr W. G. Foster, managing director of the ■Wellington Meat Export Company, for some time, and he made the discovery that the allocation of such tonnage was made by the Board of Trade to "Australasia." New Zealand's proportion is fixed by the Australian Freight Committee, a member of which is Sir Owen Cox, managing director of Birt and Co. On this information Mr Foster made very strong representations for the adequate equitable treatment of New Zealand in the matter of insulated tonnage, to the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture. The upshot of that was a cable message to the High Commissioner from the Acting-Prime Minister, iinpiessing upon the Imperial authorities the imperative necessity of better treatment of the Dominion in the matter of insulated tonnage. The latest monthly snipping report of Birt and Co., Sydney,-is the authority for the statement that "the outlook for frozen products is also much improved, and there are good prospects of practically all our surplus meat and dairy produce being exported by the end of April, and before the new Queensland killjng season gets into full swing. The Imperial Government has agreed to provide 6pace in requisitioned steamers for up to 15,000 tons of fruit, which should be a great boon to orcliardists, particularly in view of the increasing promise of a large crop. "Now,'' continued Mr Foster, "I have no doiibt the future, of the export of frozen products is regarded with equanimity m Australia. At the present time there are about tyyo npliipn carcases of meat in store tlince, whereas we have some four to five millions in store here. I consider that our is being flouted in tins matter, for Mr MacDonahl has rpepjved & cablegram, in rpply,' to the effect that practically no alteration will bp made. In my opinion the public should know of these facts, and tho Government should understand that 1 the tune has arrived for it to take off its gloves in this matter, and see that this country is fairly dealt with in the matter or the allocation of insulated, tonnage. Australia, I am advised, lias no old stopjf of pi,eat jn store. It is well, then, for producers tq consider the serious loss that may acprue to them, and farmers should hesti?" themselves."