LETTER TO THE BOARD OF TRADE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 137, 11 June 1915, Page 2

LETTER TO THE BOARD OF TRADE

MB. GILBERT ANDERSON'S PLEA. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, 23rd April. The commandeering by the Imperial Government of all the refrigerated tonnage meets with general approval in London frozen meat circles, and Mr. Gilbert Anderson says that the only regret is that this was not done at an earlier date. Writing to the President of the Board of Trade on 27th March, Mr. Gilbert Anderson says :—: — "As agents for several New Zealand farmers freezing companies, as also for a large number of growers and snippers through other works, and representatives of the largest Farmers' Freezing Co., whose consignments are Bent through various channels, I beg to draw your at. tention to the serious position of the meat supplies to this country and the harm which will be done to New Zealand! if special arrangements are not speedily made for early deliveries and future supplies. "At the present time there are ample supplies in store and on board steamers to meet all requirements, but since it has been announced that the Government have commandeered all supplies, alone with the apparent absence of shipments, prices have advanced in some instances by a further 25 per cent. " I am advised that there are ample supplies for all our requirements if proper steps are taken to obtain these, but the future of the trade is imperilled, and there is the possibility that our requirements will not be forthcoming when urgently required, unless the present block and stoppage of the freezing works in the colony is removed. "It is necessary here that I should state that I was associated in New Zea« land with the freezing industry from its inception, and was mainly resnottsible for the present freight agreement while controlling the largest output, and I claim therefore to write from the standP°J nfc of grower and freezing company. This country requires to import anwvwKn * y re SJ* lar 6hjpments 650,000 to (UO,OQO tons of meat for its ordinary an* nual demand, but to provide the extra lood for our Army we must supplement this by a further 250,000 to 300,000 lons, lhat these supplies are available has been proved by the arrivals up to date, and future supplies can be obtamed if proper organisation is arranged to get them, * "Owing, however, to various causes, no special effort is being made to discharge the large number of insulated steamers at the Port of London and Liverpool; many have been in port for over a month, and some for six weeks. 'To carry our frozen meat in normal times we require tonnage for 30,000,000 to 32,000.000 freight carcases. The present insulated tonnage is for 16,131,200 freight carcases, which with ordinary ?c'™ g5 Provides freight carcases for 45,000,000, or something like an excess of 40 to 50 per cent., sufficient for our extra requirements at normal or slow sailings, and allowing for only two trips per_ annum to New Zealand and Australia. More than this is possible by accelerating discharge and loading, which would givo a carrying capacity of possibly 50,000,000 freight carcases. "There is ample tonnage not only for freight purposes, but sufficient for the requirements of the Admiralty, "I now come to the most serious aspect, and claim to speak with an in- . timate and personal knowledge of meat freezing. The freezing , works in Now Zealand are blocked, and the majority have had to stop killing. The season is at its height and the works should be at full pressure, Growers have piovided feed for the fattening of threequarters to one million head of sheep and lambs per month from March to July, and these can only be turned off fat and in freezing condition and weight provided the monthly quantities' are sent from the farms. If this is not done, they have to remain and sharp the teed of the next drafts, resulting in these not getting fat. with the future possibility of a reduction in exports of 50 per cent, at a time when we are urgently requiring extra supplies " I therefore suggest that in order to piotect future supplies, insulated steamers should be detpatched to those districts where future supplies are waiting to be killed. In districts such as South Australia, Victoria, an<4 New ■South Wales, where the lcillins: is about

complete, the meat should remain in store in tho colony until required. "By relieving the most urgent cases only, and providing for the stock being killed as and when fat, ample supplies of meat will be forthcoming^ Otherwise the stock in the colonies will lose oondition and will become unfit for export. Serious loss will be entailed on the .colonies, and our meat supply will become seriously menaced during the time when it is urgently required I see no difficulty in providing for th« future if the matter is dealt with from a knowledge of tho necessities of tho whole circumstances." CONGESTION AT THE DOCKS. Since then, Mi. Anderson tells me, the Port of London Authority has been urged by the importers and tho Incorporated Society of Meat Freezers 'to deal with the matter of refrigerated tonnage in a prompt and businesslike manner A steamer from each line should be dealt with at a time and every effort made to discharge that vessel promptly, so that she might be free to return to the colbny. The sliipowners are quite in accord with this movement, and it is to be regretted that the Port of London Authority has not risen to the occasion.