FROZEN MEAT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 1872, 13 February 1920, Page 7

FROZEN MEAT.

AUSTRALIAN GRIEVANCE. PREFERENCE TO ARGENTINA. Bu Cable. — Press Association. — Covurig'it. (United) LONDON, Feb. 10. Owners of steamers carrying Australian meat have protested to the Board of Trade against priority being given to steamers from the River Plate discharging meat at London and Liverpool. The average time taken in discharging an Australian steamer is now six weeks, while the River Plate ships are discharging in 10 days. There have been several recent instances where River Plate ships have commenced discharging directly they arrived, while Australian ships have waited two months for berths. It is understood that the River Plate steamers have preference because their meat is privately owned, and the owners are willing to pay a much higher price for storage than the Board of Trade will pay for Go-vernment-owned meat. The irritation is growing against the retention of control, which is maintaining the high prices of meat while enormous quantities are choking the stores and delaying steamers at high expense. DOMINION SUFFERING. ZEALANDIC DELAYED. (A. &-K.Z.) LONDON, Feb. 11. The delayed foodships include the Zealandic,-which arrived from New Zealand on December 7, and docked on January 3, but has not yet commenced to unload her meat.