TRANSPORT PROBLEMS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 70, 20 September 1927, Page 10

TRANSPORT PROBLEMS

SCIENTIFIC AID

VIEWS OF EXPEETS

Dr. Franklin Kidd, D.Sc, one of the principal ofiicers of the Cambridge Low Temperature Research Station, England, was the principal guest of the Rotary Club at luncheon to-day, and in the course of a short address gave much interesting information based on the investigations carried out throughout the Empire in recent years into the problems of cold storage, fruit transportation and preservation.

Dr. Kidd has just completed a visit to South Africa and Australia, and will spend about a month in New Zealand studying principally the fruit storage and transportation problems. He is to furnish reports to the Governments of the Dominions named, on the special subjects of his inquiries. Dr. Kidd said that the problem of fruit storage and transport was a very wide one, and he would select one aspect only to deal with in the few minutes at his disposal, and that was an aspect which especially interested New Zealand fruit growers, namely, the carriage of fruit under refrigeration conditions on board steamers. The- fruit export from the Dominion had increased from 39.000 cases in 1920 to 730,000 cases in 1926. The condition of the fruit on arrival at Home had not been always satisfactory. There were many causes of loss, but it was the dramatic loss of the great part of a particular carg<^ which caused those financially interested to ask the scientist to provide a remedy. The speaker described the methods adopted in storing fruit in the ship's hold, and the means provided for maintaining as far as possible an even temperature in all parts of the hold of tho vessel. The apple was a living and breathing thing—it breathed the oxygen of the aid and gave off carbondioxide, and in so doing gave off heat. This made it necessary but difficult to maintain an even temperature in the vessel's hold. He described how scientists and engineers had attacked this problem. The effect of- different atmospheric conditions on the various kinds of apples wore outlined, and the necessity of special study for each variety was pointed out. The speaker concluded by showing the inrjirovements in transport conditions which have recently been made as- the result of the investigations which have been carried out. • .