THE CARRIAGE OF DAIRY PRODUCE.

Evening Star, Issue 8548, 22 June 1891, Page 4

THE CARRIAGE OF DAIRY PRODUCE.

—<► CONFERENCES BETWEEN AGENTS AND SHIPOWNERS. [Br Our London Correspondent.] London, May 16, Conferences from which most important results may be anticipated took place last week between a deputation of dairy produce agents consisting of Mr Henry Gray (representing Taranaki, Manawatu, Walrarapa, and Canterbury shippers), Mr Chailes Cox (of the Middle Island Dairy Association), and Mr Henry Reynolds (of Auckland and Waikato), and the managers of the Shaw, Savill-Albion Company and New Zealand Shipping Company, The idea was to point out generally the various disadvantages under which exporters of cheese and butter (more particularly butter) have during the past season labored, and to do away with them before September comes round again. Captain Potter, of the Shaw, Savill-Albion Company, received the deputation and entered minutely into their grievances, SPACE. The question of space was first gone into, Mr Gray and Mr Reynolds complaining that frequently after engaging space aud sending their butter down the country in insulated vans shippers found themselves calmly shut out or greeted with the intimation “No butter carried.” After some discussion, Captain Potter undertook to provide for the accommodation of at least 150 tons of butter by each of the mail steamers next season. Cheese will be carried, too, by mail steamers when possible ; but it is understood henceforward that a preference will be given in allotting space to shippers of butter. The agents made it very clear to Captain Potter that, whereas cheese did not suffer much by being sent by cargo steamers, butter was semi-ruined. They considered, indeed, the prosperity of the butter trade depended on the produce being shipped by regular punctual mail steamers. TEMPERATURE. The agents informed Captain Potter butter should not be carried in the freezing chambers. Occasionally specially-fine qualities, such as Mr Reynolds recently received per Tongariro (N.B.—This Mr Gray testified was superior to any butler obtainable in London), did not suffer by freezing, but it was unquestionable average produce did. What the agents and exporters want is a special cool chamber for butter, which is to be kept at a temperature not above 45deg Fahr. or below 3odeg Fahr. (N.B.—For cheese 45deg to 55deg Fahr.), and into which no other produce (neither fruit nor cheese) shall be admitted, It is desirable this should be situated (in order to avoid delay) on ’tween decks, and not in the lower deck beneath the mutton, as in the case of the Duke of Sutherland,

Mr Gray calculated that butter could bo carried in a cool chamber such as they required for 3i 6i per 561b, the present freight charge being ss. This allowed of a liberal profit. Mr Potter promised to meet the deputation where ho could, but stated that at present rates it did not pay the companies to carry butter half as well as to carry mutton.

Mr Reynolds urged the companies, notwithstanding Mr Potter’s belief, to encourage the dairy produce industry by reducing the present freights Jd per lb. There was also some talk of uniform packing, especially as regards cheese. Mr Gray remarked that the exigencies of packers on the other side, dependent as they often were on local makers, precluded their adopting any given form. Mr Cox said he strongly recommended the adoption of a uniform package for cheese. Mr Reynolds added that half the breakages now occurring would cease if shippers bound tbeir cheese cases with rings of iron. Mr Reynolds asked Mr Potter to assist them in effecting improvements in New Zealand in the forwarding by land or water of butters intended for transhipment to England. Mr Gray gave his experiences of the vexatious and unnecessary delays which occurred with irritating frequency at Wellington and Lyttelton, The latter gentleman also urged upon the shipping companies the necessity of being more exact in giving advices to shippers as to when their butters should be forwarded. He emphatically considered it a great injustice to exporters to instruct them to forward butter to port and then to meet them on arrival with the off-hand notice "Not taking in batter.”