MEAT CARGO IN DANGER

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22610, 16 January 1939, Page 10

MEAT CARGO IN DANGER

VESSEL DIVERTED TO AUCKLAND

ATTEMPTS TO SAFEGUARD LAMB CARCASES (him ii*ocii.no* r«i.iaxi.u.) AUCKLAND, January 15. Because of a blockage in the brine pipes of a refrigerated chamber containing 4200 carcases of lamb the City of Delhi, of the Montreal-Australia-New Zealand Line, which left Sydney at 8 p.m. on Monday last for Halifax and several intermediate ports was diverted to Auckland and arrived today at 6 a.m. The whole of the lamb, which was still frozen on arrival, was unloaded into insulated railway waggons and taken to the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company’s store at King’s Wharf, pending the cooling down of another chamber on the vessel for its reception. It will be reloaded to-morrow, the vessel being timed to resume her journey at 3 p.m. Th,- City of Delhi passed the North Cape for Panama at 8.30 a.m. on Friday. The stoppage in the brine pipes, which circulate brine round the chamber, developed at 6 p.m., and it was soon realised that the only chance of saving the lamb in the chamber—it was the only meat carried by the vessel—was to divert the vessel to Auckland.

In the meantime, the master. Captain Penberthy, took steps to have another chamber cooled down to take the meat and sent g. radiogram to the company’s agents, the New Zealand Shipping Company, Ltd., to make arrangements for the unloading and the temporary storage of the lamb in Auckland. On arrival at Auckland the temperature in the chamber which is to take the meat had been reduced to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but it is desirable to maintain the temperature at that level for about 48 hours before taking in the meat in order to ensure an absence of fluctuations. Fortunately the temperature in the chamber that had contained the meat had not fallen below 18 degrees, the lamb being hard and in good condition on arrival.

Two gangs started at 10 a.m. on unloading operations and finished at 4 p.m., the meat being sent to the store in 17 insulated waggons. Under the present award gangs are paid double rates for Sunday work, with a guaranteed minimum of eight hours. It is unlikely that repairs to the brine pipes will be effected on the voyage, for it will probably be a major job to locate the exact place of the blockage. It is expected that the work will be done at Halifax, the final port of the trip. The shipment of meat to Halifax was remarked upon in shipping circles as an interesting development of the Australian fat lamb export trade. The City of Delhi has a cargo of wool, general goods, and dried fruits, besides lamb for Halifax. She will also unload flour at Cristobal and Panama, hardwood logs at Norfolk, Virginia, iron ore at Baltimore, and general cargo and wool at New York.