MEAT IN FREEZERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20793, 9 February 1931, Page 14

MEAT IN FREEZERS.

HAWKE'S BAY PROBLEM.

REMOVAL DIFFICULTIES.

RAILWAY THE ONLY MEANS.

DRY WEATHER ESSENTIAL.

[by telegraph.— specul reporter.] PALMERSTON NORTH, Sunday.

' The' fate of the many thousand carcases in the damaged Hawke's Bay freezing works still hangs in the balance. The money value involved is probably about £1,000,000, but the exact figures are not available at present. Will rain hold off? is the question the freezing companies ask themselves. Given dry weather they expect to hold nearly all the meat safely until the Railway Department can remove it to Wellington or Wanganui for shipment or to other works for storage.

If it rains the insulation of the chambers' will become soaked and useless in many cases because the roofs aDOve them have given way. The Railway Department did good service in clearing insulated waggons full of meat which were in. the Hastings station yard at the time of tho earthquake. It has since marshalled more waggons from other districts, and shipped most of the meat from Borthwick and Sons' Pakipaki works, which are the worst damaged of the three near Hastings. j Refrigerators Out of Order. The refrigerating plants of all the works were out of action by the shock, but most of the insulation held, and the stoppage was not immediately seripus. The Tomoana works of Vfstys, Limited, has an auxiliary steam plant, which was brought into action, and is still lunninug under some hazards. The latest advice was that electric-power was being reconnected to the Wakatu works of the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Meat Company. Tho Pakipaki plant suffered much damage through the fall of a heavy chimney, and the repairs may amount to an almost complete rebuilding. It is quite evident that all frozen meat as well as wool and other products' will have to be sent out of Hawke's Bay by rail for some time to corne, probably all the rest of the season. The railway line at Port Ahuriri has been ruined, and there is not even road accpss to the quay where the lighters used to load. No other loading point is available. Shipment of Tallow Burned. Tho extra cost of shipping by rail to distant ports will bear heavily upon the farmers in the present period of low prices. Indeed, it is doubtful whether it will pay them to send lower-class aniL mals, such as old ewes, to tho works this season. It is even possible that meat of this class now in the stores may not be shipped, but simply treated for by-pro-ducts.

One item of Vestys' loss was 400 casks of tallow, which were awaiting shipment at Port Ahuriri. There were all burned and noi doubt contributed to the fire which at first was thought to be among the oil tanks.

HELP FOR FARMERS.

WELLINGTON CONFERENCE. KILLING SPACE FOR STOCK. [by telegraph.—press association.] WELLINGTON. Sunday. With a view to helping farmers in Hawke's Bay owing to the present dislocation of their freezing works, a conference has been held in Wellington between the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board and the Wellington freezing companies to make arrangements to help the position so as to provide killing space for fat stock

offering. As a result of this conference the freezing companies in the Wellington, Manawatu and Wanganui districts have intimated that they are .willing to take, on the most favourable terms possible, at least 30,000 sheep and lambs a week from the Hawke's Bay freezing companies to be killed at their respective works. In order to deal with lambs from Hawke's Bay it. was also decided'that preference should be given to the killing of lambs at the works in the above mentioned districts, and that the rationing of railway trucks to the respective companies should bp left in the hands of the Meat Board.

Owing to the dislocation of the loading of frozen meat in Hawke's Bay through Napier, meat is now being railed to Wellington, and in this connection the railway transport offices are doing everything possible to expedite transit. AUCKLAND EXPORTERS. NO IMMEDIATE ANXIETY. No immediate anxiety concerning tho removal of stock from Hawke's Bay for freezing is felt by meat export companies in Auckland, whose business takes them to that province. In normal times a good deal of Hawke's Bay stock is sent to Longburu and other southern works, and these ar<j still available to the farmers throughout the whole of (he province, so it was stated on Saturday.

It was mentioned (lint the Hawke's Bay farmers had had an exceptionally bad time this year. Tins absence of rain and pasture had forced them to send their sheep into the works in greater quantities than were expected, and the prices for meat and wool had been low. On' top of this their usual methods of getting their stock away had been disturbed.

NAPIER POWER HOUSE.

SIGNS OF CAVING IN. PROPPED UP BY SAILORS. [llV rKLEGIIAI'H. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] NAPIER. Sunday. The Napier power station, which had been re-established, showed signs to-day of caving in. Urgent messages were despatched to the Veronica and a party was sent to erect supports. The walls have now been propped up and I lie si at ion is generating power.

The lights are on along Die Marine Parade and in other parts of the town.