COLD STORAGE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 279, 14 August 1918, Page 7

COLD STORAGE

PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS

STATEMENT OP THE FACTS

The following figures giro eomo idea of the gravity of the need for additional storage tor frozen products in tlio Dominion if production is to go on unimpeded during next year. For the purposes of the computation capacity end quantities are reduced to cubic feet, this beinp the most convenient common denominator in which to* reckon tho capacity of stores and ships for meat and other kinds of frozen produce. Most ofton tho figures have previously been given in freight carcasses, but aa all freight carcasses do not occupy tho same amount of space the figures havo not always told the wholo truth. Beef occupies three cubic feet per freight carcass of 601b. weight, whereas "eut," or "telescoped" carcasses of mutton occupy about two cubic feet of space por 601b. Tho quantity of frozen meat in 6tore on Juno 30, 1918, was 11,000,000 oubic feot. Judging by last year's figures the amount of killings that may take place in the remainder of this calendar year will bo abont 1,470,000 cubic feot, making a total at the end of the year of 12.470,000 cubic feet. This quantity is subject to reduction on account of the amount that may bo shipped in the next faur mouths of tho year. It is estimated that there will he available 5,800,000 cubic feet of insulated space on outward ships, and that of this 3,800,000 cubic feet will be used for frozen meat. So that there should bo remaining in tho stores at the end of tho year 8,670,000 cubic feet. The estimate of tho killings during 1919 is 13,750,000 cubio feet, which would raise tho total for the end of 1919 to 22,420,000. The amount of shipping space that may be looked for during 1919 is estimated at 8,000,000 cubic feet, which would make the total in the stores at tho end of the year 14,420,000 cubic feet. The position regarding dairy produce is much more satisfactory. On Juno 30 there were two million cubic feet of dairy produce in the stores, and it is calculated that there will bo two million feot of space available to lift it before the end of tho year. Tho estimated, output during tho 6ea6on 1918-19 _is 5,500.000 cubic feet and tho shipping spaco expected is 5,000,000 cubio feet, so that there should be no more than 500,000 oubic feet of, produce in the stores, say, enough space for 100,000 crates of cheese. These figures for dairy produce relato only to exportable surplus, and take no account of the dairy produce which must go to supply the local market.