Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily. FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1917. FROZEN MEAT CONGESTION.

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1917, Page 2

Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1917. FROZEN MEAT CONGESTION.

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In the "Advocate" of Wednesday last there appeared the full text of correspondence which had passed between Mr Massey and the Controller of

Shipping in London showing that the Prime Minister had endeavoured to secure the diversion of a quantity of ships in order that the congestion of New Zealand products for export might 'be relieved, though it appeared from 'the tone of the Controller's statements that there was very little hope of steamers for the purpose being more abundant for several months, especially where refrigerated space is concerned. Next week a conference of representatives of producers throughout the Dominion is to be held in Wellington to discuss the subject of cold stores, and it will be suggested that the Government should pay for the storage of dairy produce on the. same basis as the payment for meat storage, ana , thus encourage the e-rec tion of additional accommodation for dairy produce 1 Relief to a small extent is provided in connection with frozen meat in the announcement by the Prime Minister that ten steamers will l be available during . September, and that six are already on the berths for the balance of this month and for August, with an aggregate capacity of a million and a quarter freight carcases. This will have, the effect of somewhat ameliorating the meat position, but unless many more -.vessels can be secured for October and November the position will become very acute again before next season is far advanced. At the end of last month there were just upon three and a half million carcases of meat in the stores, so that even if killing were entirely suspended during the period July-Sep-tember inclusive and all the sixteen steamers expected! to 'be available actually load in that time there will still be nearly two and a quarter million carcases left in the stores at the end of September. . To clear the stores iif time 'for the opening of the new season wtouldi need something like thirty steamers in October and November. If half that number are available we may consider ourselves luckj. The position with regard to dairy produce is worse. There were in store at the end of June 130,572 crates of cheese and 235,566 boxes of butter, to remove which will require many steamers unless the quantiiy each vessel takes is increased very much beyond .recent figures. Within a month the new season will open and it will be ta full swing before much of the produce now in store has been removed. The meat freezing companies have largely increased their storage accommodation and will be able to carry on fairly well for some months, but the cold storage for butter and cheese is deficient and the position of this industry will be a very anxious one unless the shipping shortage can be overcome. Possibly some relief may be afforded by the release of interned enemy steamers by the United States Government and in a month or two by new construction. In the meantime, however, it would be a wise policy on the part of freezing companies to increase their cold storage accommodation. It is contended in some quarters that with the exercise of greater foresight a year or two ago on the Government's part the situation might have been provided for, but no .regrets or recriminations will avail now. The only thing to be done is for producers themselves to do what is possible by providing additional storage to prevent a very serious deadlock arising- when the new season's produce comes in.