Meat Board warning to Conference Lines

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33540, 22 May 1974, Page 1

Meat Board warning to Conference Lines

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 21.

The Meat Board had had some indication from the British Conference Lines that they were having “second thoughts” about providing increased container shipping services, the board’s chairman (Mr C. Hilgendorf) said today.

He made this comment to the N.Z.P.A. after the release of a press statement from the board.

The statement covered remarks made by Mr Hilgendorf last Friday at the annual conference of the meat and wool section of South Canterbury Federated Farmers at Timaru.

Mr Hilgendorf issued a warning at the conference that the board would look elsewhere if the Conference Lines failed in their undertaking to provide greatly increased container shipping services.

Mr Hilgendorf told the conference that all New Zealand meat going to the east coast of North America was now in containers. An increasing proportion was going to the west coast of North America in containers, and a container service was planned to serve Japan. New contract “In March the Meat and Dairy Boards negotiated with the British Conference a rolling four-year contract to carry meat and dairy produce, in return for an undertaking that a greatly increased proportion would be carried in containers by 1977. “The board has continuously advocated the greater use of containers, not only from a shipping, but also from a marketing point of view,” Mr Hilgendorf told the conference.

“I am quite clear that if the lines had not been able or willing to extend the container services the board would have been forced to call on other companies who could, or would,” said Mr Hilgendorf. If the lines now, for any

reason, did not carry out their undertaking the board would look for other means to have meat carried to the United Kingdom in containers, he said.

Mr Hilgendorf told the N.Z.P.A. today that when he spoke at Timaru he had only had a hint of the problems. “We had no direct indica-

tion of any real difficulties with containers,” he said. “Now we have had some indication that the lines are having second thoughts about providing increased container services.” No comment A spokesman for the Conference Lines in Wellington said he had seen a copy of Mr Hilgendorf’s press statement, but was unable to comment at this stage.