FROZEN MEAT TRADE.
PORT OF LONDON PROPOSALS. NEW ZEALAND CLAIMS UNDER CONSIDERATION. LONDON, November 24. Important proposals affect ing- the handling of New Zealand frozen produce at the London docks arc made m the second annual report of tho Port of London Authority. The suggestions will naturally bo read with considerable interest m the Dominion, where there havo not been wanting severe criticisms on the methods now employed at the Docks. Tho report states : — Representations have been made to the Authority by the agents of New Zealand agricultural and other organisations, who havo been specially commissioned to visit England, that it is desirable to make certain improvements m the facilities for the handling of frozen meat m the Port of London. The principal points urged by the representatives have been that barge transit from the ship to the cold store should be abandoned m favor of the quickest possible land route ; that tho Authority's store m Smithfield should be extended ; that all meat should be discharged at once into a sorting shed instead of being sorted m tho ship's hold ; and that the dock of discharge for New Zealand vessels should be the South- West India Dor:k instead of the Royal Victoria and Albert Docks, as at present. As regards the method of transit, it is the Authority's practice to use land conveyance for all meat entrusted to it except from Tilbury, where the distance under present conditions makes the barge method the only practicable one, but the Authority has no power to control the movement of consignments housed at outside depots and wharves where the river route is adopted. With the object of extending its premises at Smithfield, the Authority for some time past has been negotiating Avith the City Corporation for a site immediately adjoining Smithfield Market. Tlie proposed sorting shed is the revival of a project considered by the dock companies some years ago, and then abandoned because neither shipowners nor merchants were prepared to pay for the accommodation. The Authority has expressed its willingness to erect such sheds on receiving assurance that they will be used on terms that will yield an adequate return on the capital outlay. The most important point raised is that of the proposed transfer of the New Zealand trade to tlie South-West India Dock, its original headquarters before the frozen meat trade assumed its present proportions. For the last thirty years this trade lias had its principal depot at the Victoria and Albert Docks, and it is realised that its removal to another dock involves serious considerations, entailing the navigation of large steamers a further distance of four miles up the Thames. The Authority, much impressed by these representations and by the desirability of meeting them m a practical manner, has decided m connection with its programme of new works and improvement to enlarge the scheme for the reconstruction of the South-West India Dock by making the dock accessible to vessels of a lentgh of 650 ft. instead of 500 ft., and enabling vessels of a far larger tonnage than those now m the Now Zealand trade to use this dock. Before, however, actually constructing the costly depots and their extensive railway equipment, the Authority Avill require to be satisfied tliat the proposed transfer of the frozen meat trade to this dock is acceptable to all the interests concerned, and that the necessary outlay will be remunerative. RECORD OF VOLUME OF TRADE. Tlie report deals m detail with the trade of the port/which was the highest on record. The total net tonnage of vessels entering and leaving with cargoes and m ballast from and tb foreign countries and British possessions and coastwise during the year ended December 31st, 1910, was 39,473,001 tons, as compared with 38,510,989 tons during the year 1909 — an increase of 962,012 tons, The net register tonnage of shipping which entered and left the port of London, and paid river tonnage due, during the twelve months ended March 31ats 1911, was : — Foreign, 19,656,193, coastr wise 9,739,443, total 29,395,636— the increase for the year being 815,988 tons. The values of the total imports and exports (excluding coastwise goods) for the year were £360;590,903. The figures for Liverpool are £340,670,089, and then Hull comes third, with £73,234,653 — a big drop. The improvement m the import business, which forms the chief source of the revenue at the docks, has extended to most classes of goods dealt with. The greatest progress was shown m the frozen meat trade, where tlie quantity increased from 138,022 tons to 215,446 tons. The increase is mainly due to the importations, into the port of chilled beef by a new weekly line from the River Plate, for which the Authority has provided special accommodation m the Royal Albert Dock. Tlie Authority has sanctioned the construction of the projected South. Albert Dock. • This dock will be 4600 ft. long, with an average width of 600 ft., and a depth of 38ft. The entrance lock will be 800 ft. long, 100 ft. wide, and 45ft. deep on sills. A dry dock will be provided of corresponding dimensions, and the preliminary estimate of cost of the works as approved, amounts to £2,156,000. This dock, when completed, will ensure accommodation m the Port of London for the .largest class of shipping. The Authority has also authorised tlie purchase of .additional land for the projected new South Albert Dock, and also of land for a further dock, the North Albert Dock,
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PBH19120110.2.85
Bibliographic details
Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12657, 10 January 1912, Page 8
Word Count
909FROZEN MEAT TRADE. Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12657, 10 January 1912, Page 8
Using This Item
The Gisborne Herald Company is the copyright owner for the Poverty Bay Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of the Gisborne Herald Company. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.