FROZEN MEAT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144132, 30 June 1913, Page 3

FROZEN MEAT.

ACCOMMODATION AT PORT OF LONDON. . ' STATEMENT OF THE FACTS. ' ■ j;7 '] WELLINGTON, June 25. ~| Some interesting correspondence, re- : ferriug to improved tacihties for the ' handling of refrigerated cargo at the : Fort oi London has been received by ,| Mr. W. G. r oster, managing director of ; the Wellington Meat Export Company. Ti:e letters' are die most interesting m view of the recent agitation which has | for its object Hie securing of Hoaen I cargo from Nev. Zealand lor the Port of Bristol. -pi;. I)r. W. V. Robinson, representative ; in London for the Associated irMsfing. , ! Companies of tne North Island, ,writes : 1 enclosing the foliowing loiter from Mr; ; R. Ehillipson, m r the General Manager S . office of the Port, of London Authority: , “'Tho correspondence wmch; '■ ywi < have been good enough to senu dm in- i dinates that many are being circulated in New Zealand- ; with regard to the Port of London* j Authority s accommodation for, frozen ; meat, and 1 shall be glad if you mil . allow me to mwko a statement ot tno facts. Almost, the first subject which , the Authority (.nisidorcd after its appointment was tne question of improving, the dock and warehouse facilities in ■ London for the colonial trade, and speeial attention was devoted to the faicuitics for frozen meat. The now dock to , , the south of the existing Royal Albert , Dock, where the colonial: trades are ; chiefly carried on and will doubtless bo ' developed, was atifchotisea ’ at ..a'-'Ctoteof ! :j ’£2,000,000, and its; construction, .waSvbel!jj| gun, in July last.* At the same tiine J the question of the warehouse accomino- | datum for meat was' most carefully con- 1 sidered, and, as you know, the Author!- : tv were for a time placed 'in serious *: difficulties in connection with this sub- „ ject owing to the considerable diSereft-.... • ces of opinion expressed by the interests ~ concerned in the trade as to the natdre i and situation of the new accommoda- . tion. Eventual!--- the Authority decided oh an extension of their city warehouse at, Smithfield market thereby mailing the storage theie double what it is today, and. furiher. they decided to con- ] struct an insinuation at tho west end . of the existing Royal Albert Dock on lines which may fairly bo claimed to be ; : the most comprehensive over undertaken by any port authority. There,, i will be two insulated sorting sheds on the quay, each 500 foet in length ; and 1 J connected with these sheds there, will be at the rear a warehouse capable of 1 holding '250,000 ■ carcases. ,* This d will bring tho total capacity of oar ■ cold storage warehouses up to 1,150,000 carcases. Tho temperature l Of;, s tho sorting shocks will bo tho same as that of ' the warehouse—namely, 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It is piopoaed to fit machinery which will enable meat to be conveyed direct from, the ship’s hold through the sorting shed to tno warehouse or to conveyances without, - ), handling. The cost, already sanctioned, of erecting these warehouses and sheds will be upwards of £‘loo,ooo. One_ great advantage of tho scheme is that it can be extended as the trade requires along the whole lengtn of the dock—namely,, to about 0370 icct lam aware that ' some of your friends are disappointed at the delay in commencing the works. Part of the delay was undoubtedly due to the opposition raised in certain quarters to the Authority’s, project; considerable delay was due. to the die-’ .i organisation of all our arrangements,,,,, caused by tho disastrous strike of last: summer, when the efforts, of everyone , here had to be directed to carrying , ; on current business under most try- ~ ing circumstances. So far as .the Smithfield depon is concerned, severe* months’ delay was caused by legal difficulties in connection with the adaptation of the site to tho mxpose we had in view. All obstacles Tiave now been overcome, and the position is that tho . contract for the Smithfield depot baa been let to Messrs. Trollop, and that' the tenders for the Albert Dyck installation are due to be returned on tho 18th instant, which should permit of the contract being entered in to withm three or four weeks from that date. It ~, is absolutely untrue to suggest, as I understand has been done, tnpt the Authority are lukewarm in carrying out these great improvements. This Authority recognise the value of this trade to the Port of London, and are determined , ~ to do their best to satisfy all requirements of traders. The works will bo - pushed forward with all possible expedition, and as linancial provision is already made no delay will arise after tenders are accepted. “I will add that the Authority are now considering the question of improving the method of transit to Smithfield market, and amongst; other matters are in communication with the County Council with a view to seeing whether it would be possible to use their tram rails for convoying the meat from the docks to the market. Such an arrangement, if it can ho effected, will renderthe dock and market stores practically one establishment, and reduce to vanishing point the injurious exposure vof v meat in transit. The time occupied in , the conveyance of meat from the Albert ~, Dock to Smithfield will bo less under this' system than would bq possible from any other "point on the river.” Mr. D. Robinson cabled on June 23 as follows:—“Port of London Authority tender has been accepted cold stores sorting sheds.” This should mean, as the letter indicates, that tho work will bo proceeded with at once.