REFRIGERATED SPACE

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 71, 22 September 1919, Page 8

REFRIGERATED SPACE

POSITION VERY SERIOUS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY,. 12th September. New Zealand primary industries are reported to be suffering under the prevailing shortage of refrigerated, shipping j space, but the position cannot be worse than it is here. Not only is the shipping coming forward not nearly sufficient,, but | the cold storage space in all the Australian States is practically exhausted. At the present time the beef , and mutton stored in Australia represents rather more than the total exported in one year prior to the war. The rato at which beef and mutton are leaving Australia at present does not keep pace with the average weekly killings for the European market. In addition, there are now over 12,000,----000 skinned rabbits in the cold stores awaiting shipment, but intimation has been received from the Imperial authorities that no further refrigerated sr>ace ■will be allotted for rabbits for some time to come. These rabbits are held to the order of the Imperial Government, so permission is now being asked to take them from the cold stores and can them, so that further space may be made for beef and mutton. The Governments of Now South Wales and Victoria, which feel the pinch most, are making hurried arrangements to. provide storage for a further half-million to a ' million tons of frozen meat. The Federal Minister fof' Trade and Customs has pointed out that while the utmost efforts are being made to, get shipping for Australia, we cannot bo blind to the fact that Europe is alarmingly in need of foodstuffs, and that refrigerated steamers can make two voyages to Argentina to one to Australia. At the same time ho has represented to the Imperial authorities that the fact that 12,000,000 tons of frozen meat have gone from Argentina in . the past year and only 1,500,000 tons from Australia does not make for that amicable inter-Empire trade development that is believed to ; be generally desired.