EXPORT OF FRUIT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 19 June 1924, Page 6

EXPORT OF FRUIT.

PRE-COOLING SYSTEM ADVOCATED. DISCUSSION AT LONDON CONGRESS. By Cable—-Press Association— Copyright. Received 5.6 p.m., June 18. LONDON, June 17. Fifty papers, dealing with all phases of refrigeration, were read by experts from leading nations at the meetings of the various sections of me Refrigeration Congress. In a paper prepared by Mr William French (refrigerating engineer, of Melbourne), and read before the Refrigerated Transport section, it was stated that in Australia, considerable opposition had been expressed against tbe pre-cooling of fruit, much of which had still to be overcome before a satisfactory export trade could be achieved. The antagonism came chiefly from growers arid agents, who because of a trifling expense, preserved their prejudice' against the system/which was calculated to ensure uniformity of quality and goody, market prices.-• Although the Vic-* •>;- torian Royal Commission in 1915 reported favourably:on.pre-cooling, the short-sighted views of. the opponents of that system prevailed. It was necessary to convince,.them that their attitude was against their own interests. Pre-cooling was the only effective preventive against fruit ship- . merits being destroyed owing to ripeness deteriorating into rottenness. Proper pre-cooling would enormously' enhance the export of citrus fruits, ' which were needed in Britain and Europe. Experience had proved that the pre-cooling of apples was not waste of time and money. The sys-, tern should be obligatory. If the temperature of fruit were not quickly and permanently brought to a certain : degree, the chance of successful transportation was small. The Vlc- . torian Institute of Refrigeration, in . 1922, urged the Government to estab- ■ lish a refrigeration research station. It was urged that the industry was"»(. groping along for want of scientific- ! data. Owing to a political crisis and changes of Government, the realisation of the refrigerators’ hopes had made slow progress. "' Mr Hawkin (of the United States Department of Agriculture), said tha-fi experiments during the last three years had proved that Californian grapes arriving in New York were • Tittle different from those pre-cooled.' £ It had been payable to pre-cool Cali- A. fornian cherries and strawberries, which, as a result, lasted twenty-four hours longer. The meeting passed a resolution highly recommending pre-cooling, but expressing the-opinion that it should not be made compulsory.