COOL CHAMBERS ON THE DIRECT STEAMERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 8987, 21 January 1891, Page 2

COOL CHAMBERS ON THE DIRECT STEAMERS.

«- • We are not responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. The writer's name, as a guarantee of good faith, must bo enclosed in tho letter. 1

TO THE EDITOR. Sin,—For some time I have been trying to find out if there has ever been a daily register kept of the temperature of the cool chamber in the steamers running between New Zealand and England, and, so far, I cannot ascertain whether any such register is kept. The agents will tell you it is between 30deg- and 40deg., but I have reason to believe that that is only a guess. Some time ago I saw a letter in one of the Southern papers, stating that when the steamer left New Zealand she -went south, and the cool chamber would be kept very cold, but when she got in the Tropics the freezing machinery had all its work to keep the frozen chamber low enough: so that if Buch is the case the cool chamber would be left to its fate just at the most critical time. One of the South Island cheese factories sent a consignment of cheese to England, half of which- was in the cool chamber and half in the hold; and their Home agent reported that both lots had been overheated, and only fetched £2 per cwt —so there was something wrong somewhere. When Mr Sawers, the Government Dairy Inspector, was here I put the question to him if he knew of any register of the temperature of the cool" chamber being kept, and he said he did not know of any, so that we are sending thousands of pounds' worth of butter away weekly,and have no guarantee that the cool chamber will be kept at a low temperature. I am aware that a large quantity of butter is spoilt before it gets into the cool chamber, but so far as I can learn, the Companies give no- guarantee that it will not be spoilt when in the cool chamber. In my own case I wish to know the tempera- • ture, as I intend to send a consignment of cheese Home; and I know of two cheesemakers who wish to send consignments also. Hoping, Sir, that you or some of your correspondents will be able to throw some light on this subject,—l am, &c, Edward Olson. Woodlands.