CHILLED BEEF

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1932, Page 16

CHILLED BEEF

NEW INDUSTRY’S PROSPECTS. REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION. Masterton, Dec. 16. The possibilities of ’ the chilled beef industry to New Zealand* were discussed at a meeting of the Wairarapa provincial executive of the Farmers Union to-day, when it was decided that the matter of research into the question should be referred to the Meat Producers’ Control Board and the Department of .Scientific Research. Mr. J. C. Cooper, former manager of the Waingawa Freezing Works, spoke very hopefully on the Dominion’s prospects. The, president, Mr; Hugh Morrison, stated' that research work was being carried out in England and according to a cabled report progress was being made. From reports from Australia, chilled beef there was assured, and if it was assured for Australia, it was assured for New Zealand. He moved that the question be referred to the Meat Control Board. The cattle industry had been a very important one some years ago—in fact, its collapse had been as big a “knock” as the sheepfarmers of the East Coast had had. Mr. T. R. Barrer suggested that instead of referring the matter to the Meat Control Board, it should be referred to the Department of Scientific Research. The Meat Control Board—so far as he know —had done nothing. The board had the funds to carry out research work, and he thought that if its regulations would not allow it to carry out such work, they should be amended.

Mr. J. C. Cooper said that formerly refrigerating boats had taken 40 to 44 days to travel Home, and as they had picked up cargo round the coast, the total passage had taken about 80 days. Now, however, there were at least three boats doing the trip in 30 days, and, he pointed out, jt took 26 or 27 days to carry chilled meat from Rio (South America) to London. There was the obstacle of plant in New Zealand, h6wever. He did hot think there was, one freezing works in New Zealand with a meat-chilling plant, and there was no boat trading with the Dominion with the necessary plant. With chilled meat, too, continued Mr. Cooper, it would not be possible to .pick up cargo round the coast. It would be necessary to send the meat to the main centres, there to be chilled and shipped at once. The matter was one which meant so much to the farmers that he thought it should be gone into at once. With the right plant, and with the speed of the present-day steamers, he was quite certain that chilled meat could be sent from New Zealand quite as successfully as it had been sent from Rio Plata to • London in tl.e old days.

! Mr. J. M. James observed that he understood a New Zealand works were going to make a trial shipment of chilled beef in January. He thought that the Meat Control Board and the Department of Scientific Research should co-operate in the matter of research.

It' was finally decided that the whole position should be referred to the Meat Board and the department.