FROZEN PEODUCE

Otago Witness, Issue 3399, 7 May 1919, Page 11

FROZEN PEODUCE

COMPLAINT OF CONGESTION.

DEPUTATION TO MR GUTHRIE. (Feom Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON. May 2. , A deputation representing the Farmers Union of Hawke’s Bay met the Minister in Charge of Imperial Supplies (Mr Guthrie) to-day to make representations to him regarding the congestion of meat in the stores in the freezing works in their district. They pointed out that the district was suffering severely from this congestion, owing especially to the dry weather that had been experienced during the present season. The matter was a very serious one for the district. They gave credit to the Overseas Shipping Committee for allocating space fairly and justly among the various freezing companies, but they were of opinion that the principle on which the allocation was made was not in the best interests of the dominion. They urged that the districts in which fat stock came forward earliest should have early allocations to ayoid cong#stion in the later part of the season. The basis on which the allocation of space is made to the various works has never been publicly defined. It is believed that a number of factors are taken into consideration. The allocations are bassd on the lulling capacity of the works, on the supplies of fat stock offering in the districts served by the works, and on the amount of meat in the stores in relation to the capacity of the stores. The last factor of all is the most important one, but it would not be fair to take account of no other considerations. In some works—mostly the" bigger works in the country—the policy this year has been to nut a limit on all clients, in order that the stores might not be filled with meat, causing stock belonging to other clients of the companies to be shut out of the works. By this policy the inconvenience is distributed. It would have been a very easy matter for most "of these com panies to fill their stores in the early part of the season by going up to full capacity and to have claimed relief as a matter of urgent necessity. For this reason, among others, it is not possible lor the committee to give space only according to the immediate needs of the companies. Some of them are held to be to blame for their present plight. While some companies have at great cost built new storage, others have held bn to their money and decided to take risks. None' of these remarks have special reference to Hawlsp’-s Bay. The season has been a very dry one in that district, and it was a matter of extreme, urgency to get the stock off the failing pastures. What the deputation asked was that in the early part of the season most, if not all, of the space should bo .dven to such districts as Hawke’s Bay, where the season was early, and that the ernpty'scaco in the southern works should bo id'owed to fill up in the early part of the season, to be cleared in the later months of the season, when the rush was over in the north and just at its height in the - 'South Island. The deputation asked that the necessities of the Works should be the main consideration in allocating spaoe, t but the special reference was to necessities depending on easonal variations due to climatic conditions. The Minister, in reply, said that he nad no control over the Overseas Shipping Committee, but ho would be very pleased to convey to the committee the representations made to him. He knew that in the past the committee had dealt absolutely fairly with this question of allocations, and ho was sure that the committee would give consideration to tho / proposals .made. Mr Guthrie took the opportunity of informing the deputation of the latest advice he nad received from Mr Massey in regard to shipping for loading in April, May, and June. April was now over, but for the three months there are to be on the berth loading in New Zealand 50 steamers, with a capacity of 9,000,000 cubic feet —sufficient to take 3,000,000 freight carcases of meat. For May the allowance is 11 steamers, with a capacity of 3,000,000 cubic feet, and in June 12, and possibly 13, with 4,000,000 cubic feet capacity. These allocations ar©' provisional in the meantime, and may have to be altered on account of quarantine re-’

Btriotioxis or strikes. He told the deputation also that there was a possibility of Bome ships fo/merly belonging to the Germans being put into the New Zealand trade. CONGESTION IN NORTH ISLAND. AUCKLAND, April 29. The congestion at the freezing works of *he Auckland district threatens to seriously effect farmers in regard to the disposal of fat stool: unless early relief is afforded' by tli©- provision of shipping space. The Horotiu works have been closed since April 17, ovd >?ill not be reopened until the Corinthio loads cargo at th© end of the week. The Southdown works have been restricting killing fcr some time, and will be fully stocked by the end of the week. The produce held in storo at Horotiu and Southdown is 178,000 carcases and 28,000 crates of ohseoe in excess of that held last year. Thoro does not seem to be any doubt that the Imperial Shipping Control has done almost more than oould be expected of it to meet the requirements of this country. La*ge numbers of ships were promised, and those are coming out. The bad luck for New Zealand is that they are coming late. The lateness of all tho ships has been caused not by any fault on the part_ of the Shipping Control or of tho authorities in New Zealand, but by the lons continuance of strikes and epidemics in Great Britain. 'The Shipping Control has made tremendous efforts to make up the lost time by sending out ships partly loaded, or even in ballast. Several ships have come out in ballast. The Tainui. shortly to arrive, conies without cargo (in ballast). During May 10 steamers are to load meat in New Zealand ports, and these ships will relieve the present position considerably. More ships aro still to como, and it is hoped that at the beginning l of next season tho stores hero will be nearer to being empty than they were at tho beginning of the proBent season. Had the programme mapj>ed

out by the Imperial' Shippirr- Control been carried out, all the ships that we have had and all the ships now in sight would have been on this coast tyro months earlier.