A Great Service

Northern Advocate, 25 March 1937, Page 2

A Great Service

(By C. E. Cuming). I _ ‘ The presence in the Dominion of Dr. A, J, M. Smith of the Pood Investigation Board of the British Scientific Research Department to carry out investigations of preshipment conditions and methods of handling in loading % New Zealand produce calls to mind the \ great work-that this British Government Department is doing to improve me shipping methods of our dairy and meat produce. Investigations carried out at the research laboratory and low temperature station at Cam- ~ bridge in the last 10 years have efH. fected revolutionary changes in rej frigeration methods of ships ahd it is j to investigate personally the effect of j these alterations that a representative 5 of the British Research Department is • visiting New Zealand. The principal j centre of research is the Cambridge ! Low Temperature Station, while there j is another station at Ditton, where j there is an experimental ship’s hold I for carrying out refrigeration trials. J At Aberdeen there is a station which | investigates the problems of refrigera- | tion and the storage of fish. The total I cost of the work is £50,000 per annum, { New Zealand contributing annually to | the cost. The low temperature station \ at Cambridge had rendered great ser--5 vice to our fruit industry, it has done J much to perfect the meat chilling proJ cess and is rendering appreciable asi sistance to the dairying industry. ! Valuable research work has been in ; progress in regard to the pig industry. ! When the export of bacon was first J suggested it was declared to be out of ; the question because of deterioration j of the fat during transit. It was found J by Cambridge that keeping the bacon j in an atmosphere of pur© carbon- ! dioxide gas could overcome the trouble. ! The growth of the chilled beef indus- ; try which has developed largely from J I the research work of the Cambridge j j Low Temperature Research Station, \ 1 has meant a very substantial increase | j in the Dominion’s income because of j • j the higher price 'realised by the chilled j ; j article as compared with the frozen. I