CONGRESS OF REFRIGERATING INDUSTRIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2855, 2 December 1908, Page 9

CONGRESS OF REFRIGERATING INDUSTRIES.

A PERMANENT INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE. (FiOM Oub Own Correspondent.) October 16. The Congress of RefrigeratinK Industries. at its final sittings in Paris on Monday? adopted a large number of resolutions reported from the various sections. The most important practical step taken was a decision to appoint a Permanent International Committee, as the nucleus of an International Association of Refrigerating Industries, with a view to promoting ar.d protecting their interests. The principal objects of this organisation wiJl be to take rneasurea to remove the prejudice still prevailing in many quarters against food preserved by refrigeration, to encourage by Government or private support, wherever obtainable, scientific research^ on all technical questions affecting the industry, and the modification or abolition- of existing regulations which hamper the introduction into any country of frozen or chilled produce. ; ! The last-mentioned desideratum was embodied in a resolution proposed by the Hon. T. A. Coghlan (Agent-jreneral for New South Wales), while a kindred motion, asserting the necessity of adopting a uniform standard of inspection, was accepted on the initiative of Mr Gilbert Anderson, the official delegate- from New Zealand. Another British resolution passed was one by Mr J. H. Geddes in favour of oStaining exact scientific data for determining the conditions as to time and temperature which perishable produce can be satisfactorily kept. This year' 6 ponference, it will be remembered, was only of a preliminary nature. WHAT NEW ZEALAND WANTED.— MR ' CAMERON'S COMMENT. The Government Dairy Commissioner (Mr H. C. Cameron), who returned from Paris yesterday morning, says that he is very much pleased with the results of the conference, which he regards as the first of a series of international importance. The idea of the congrees originated in France, [

and was supported by many foreign countries. " Unfortunately, the British Government had not supported it. and that to some extent handicapped the British representatives. Everything was done in the French language, and there was so much to"be done that much lees time was afforded for discussion than the British representatives would have liked. There wero co many interests involved, and many of the representatives who were interested in more than one section had perforce to miss - a good deal. As for getting New Zealand products admitted into foreign countries, he could not see that there was any immediate advance. At the same time, the chance wae much better now that such a conference had been held. Mr Gilbert Anderson had moved a resolution that a conference should bff arranged of persons connected "with the industry ill different countries to draw ut) an international system of meat inspection which would bo acceptable to all countries. That had passed the General Committee, and had been accepted; it would be considered by the committee which was being appointed, and would be prominently before the next conference. It would be almost impossible to get the conference to agree to the importation of foreign meats under existing conditions, but if the result of this proposal was to standardise th© meat inspection cf all countries, there would not be the same objection to the importation of meat on the Continent. What the New Zealand representatives had worked for at the conference was to get~Ehe New Zealand inspection recognised. Mr Cameron thought they had every reason to be satisfied with the result. The next congress will be held at Viennatwo years hence. Thereafter fy will probably be triennial.

While returning from a meeting ad« dressed by Mr Booker Washington, the negro reform leader, two negroes created a disturbance in a train in Mississippi (U.S.A.), and wh>a the conductor interfered shot him. At the next step a committee of passengers lynched tl:e:n, and left -their bodies hanging on a tree by the railway in order that Mr Booker Washington might see them as he passed i$ a train next day.