FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXV, Issue 11648, 23 April 1913, Page 3

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

STORAGE CAPACITY AT BRISTOL,

The Press Association recently wired throughout the colony a statement by Mr W. G. Foster (chairman of the Associated Meat Companies of the North Island) denying the truth of Mr Lysnar's assertion at Invercargill that Bristol possesses the capacity to store 200,000 carcases of frozen mutton. A representative of the Napier Telegraph interviewed Mr Lysnar on the point, that gentleman being in Napier at the moment. Laying the wired contradiction of his statement before him, the pressman asked him what he had to say On the subject. Said Mr Lysnar:— "Personally I care not what cold storage capacity there is to-day at Bristol, particularly as Bristol is only one out of six West Coast ports which it is suggested should be used at one ami the same time. That should not deter us goingforward with a betterment seneme which, I suggest, is Mr .Poster's bounden duty to support, ii : he considers the many producers'as'against the few meat speculators. At the siuiic time 1 repeat that what I stated at Invercargill about Bristol's storage capacity is absolutely correct, ami that Mr Foster's data are not. As proof of this assertion let me quote an extract from a letter from Mr 11. W. Triggs, chairman of the Port of Bristol, to myself. He says: 'In round figures the capacity at the present moment is equivalent to 100,000 carcases, and no difficulty is anticipated in doubling or quadrupling this capacity as soon as it can be shown that the accommodation will be needed. ' in addition to this there are two private stores with a capacity of 50,----000, and a fourth owned by the Port and now used for other purposes. As this is not the first time. Mr Foster on behalf of his association has recently circulated inaccurate information, I propose to specially deal with Mr Foster 's published inaccuracies at the public addresses I am booked to make at Pahiatua next Tuesday afternoon and Hastings the following Thursday afternoon, and I challenge Mr Foster to be present and debate the question." "Is v not strange,- , " the pressman asked, "that the association should, as you seem to suggest is tne case, discourage the efforts to obtain better results for producers?" "1 agree," replied Mr Lysnar. "It is extraordinary to be obliged to assume that the best use that Mr Foster can make of the association at this critical juncture, is by cabling to England to ascertain if Bristol has a capacity to store 40,000, 80,000 or 200,000 carcases, when an earnest effort is being made to secure for all classes of producers in this Dominion better handling and marketing methods for their produce in England, an effort which, if successful, would add four to five million pounds sterling to their returns which they are to-day'receivinsi. We want the best results," ami if Mr Foster can show what we are striving for is not the best then I usk him to let us know in a manly way on the public platform what is the best, and if he cannot suggest anything better then 1 call upon him to either assist the producers or leave us alone. "