FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 270, 7 April 1913, Page 8

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

ENGLISH WEST COAST PORTS. A SLANDER ON BRISTOL. By Telegraph—Press Association. Invercargill, Last Night. While Mr. W. D. S. Lysnar was addressing a public meeting here on Saturday, to further the interests of Bristol and those handling and marketing New Zealand produce, he received the following wire from Mr. J. G. Wilson, the Dominion President of the New Zealand Farmers' Union:—"Rumour circulating from Wellington, that Bristol has only 40,000 storage capacity and that the docks are a failure. Should be refuted."

Mr. Lysnar said he was pleased to receive the wire at such an opportune moment. Whoever was responsible for the rumour did not know the true facts. and the statement was totally incorrect! Dealing with the statement that the docks at _ Bristol were a failure. Mr. Lysnar said it was wholly without justification and could only have been made in full ignorance of the actual position. The Bristol docks are unquestionably one of the finest equipped docks in the world, and could accommodate any boat travelling to Australasia. Mr. Lysnar said he could not do better than quote the opinion of Mr. Peake, the Premier of South Australia, who. according to a cable report on April 2, after he had visited the Bristol docks, described the docks as "a triumph of municipal enterprise." At Bristol. Mr. Lysnar said, there was cold storage capacity for over 200,000 carcases of meat to-day, and in addition there had just been formed a new cold storage company, which was taking immediate steps to erect an additional large freezing store to be available next season. This was called the Avon Cold Storage Company. The Port of Bristol itself, in contemplation of the present movement being successful, had already prepared plans for practical!v trebling the present storage capacity at the docks, a copy of the plans for which work Mr. Lysnar had at Gisborne. The present movement contemplates utilising the storage capacity in all the West Coast ports, and in the case of Manchester there is a total storage capacity for 800.000 carcases. The greater proportion of this storage is idle to-day. At Liverpool there was still greater storage capacity, while Glasgow-.. Cardiff and Swansea have ample storage for all prospective and immediate requirements, and it is fair to say that there is greater storage capacity for frozen produce well spread in the West Const ports than in the whole of the stores in London. Seeing that all the West Coast ports would be utilised at one and the same time, it was idle for anvbodv to suggest that the storage capacity of one port should be only considered. Tn addition, Mr. Lysnar pointed out, that the storage charges at the West Coast stores are less than half the charges in London, with special concessions. The port of Bristol had already agreed to assist this movement. For imports of over 1400 tons in any one year the charge would be for cold storage of meat at the rate of Is fid per ton per week, while at other West Coast port stores the charge would i be 10s fid per ton per month, as against London's charges of 22s fid per ton for the first month. 20s for the second month and 17s fid for the third month. 1 Owing to multiple handlings and bad facilities at London, in practice the second and third months' storage in London was seldom availed of, for the reason that produce suffers bv re-freezing after bring exposed; while at Bristol and Manchester, there beinsr nothing to cause I damage, produce could be stored for sev- j eral months without anv deterioration whatever.