FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 994, 8 December 1910, Page 5

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

■+■■- —— ":■: ■■-,;■ ■■■:. SOME-OF THE DISABILITIES. METHODS OF HANDLING IN: LONDON. •Sir. W. D. Lysnar, Mayor of Gisbornty and chairman of the Poverty Bay branch' of the Now Zealand Farmers' Union, reJ turned from a visit to London yesterday,' "While in London he went thoroughly inter tho frozen meat question, and examined] closclj the methods adopted after it. leaves the cold-chambers on. the steamers./ He fonnd that there were good grounds! for complaint, so much so that ho decided] to draw up a report on the postiion anill suggest concrete recommendations to inw provo matters. Hβ called a lnepting ofj New Zealandors then in. London, whbi were interested in the export trade. This;., meeting appointed a committee o£. New , Zealanders to inquire into his report and!' recommendations. The committee spent about six weeks in investigating the con-) ditions of the trade, with the result that! they agreed that Mr. Lysnar had fairly: stated tho position, and they approved off most.of the recommendations that he.hadi submitted. ~.,..

' Mr. Lysnar summed up the disabilities : to which the frozen meat trade is sub- ' jected in tho port of London as follows:—. 1. The system of sorting the produce in tho hold of the ship, instead'of in a ■ goods shed, is wrong. . 2. Discharging from the ship's hold.withV hatches only partly, covered is wrong. 3. Running the carcasses down shoots,: and loading into barges and trucks,.' is;" unsatisfactory. 4. Most of the barges used to conveytho meat from the ship up the Thames.to , delivery points are in an unfit state for! the purpose. , '•..' '.'.-". ' 5. Present methods of taking the meat: and dairy produce from tho ship to the , SinitMeld inarkfrt and to up-town 'stores are unsatisfactory. .- . ■ ' '. .6. Carting the meat from the barge orjstore on the river bank to Smithfield! market and to the railway stations-for •general distribution is unsatisfactory and; expensive. ■ . ■'.. .■ ■' . ■■ ■':.:'■'-,-.>.' 7. Carrying meat on a man's shoulder; to and from carts into Smithfield market ■• is unsatisfactory and expensive. 8. While the railway is attached to' Smithfield, it. is not madouspof for the ; carriage of meat from ship to market,. , or in its distribution from the market. S. Smithfield market is so inconveniently; situated in respect to'the'freezing.stores) that it has become a practice to sacrifice carcasses which have. missed the market; rather-than return them to the store to ; bo held over for next sales. : ; '. ; ,

10. Want of method in. controlling day- - to-day values of the meat on Sniithfield.: market is very apparent. '■ ' '.■■'.'■''■' ,'.,■ 11. The present system, by which the ■ identity of tho New Zealand produce isj _'. lost immediately .it comes into the hands! i of retailers, is ■unsatisfactory and p_re-.i. v judicial to the truo interests of lNew Zoaland producers. ' •'.-." ■. ' .-. ',"■■ Tho committee, Mr. Lysnar stated, hay-i ■> ing drawn up a very lull report on his! ' recommendations, conferred yvvith. -thai ' Smithfield Market Committee, which is] appointed by the London County Coun-i ci% in whdm the control of the marketi is vested. They alsoconsulted the Lon-j don port authorities, who. cpntrel. the | . (locks' wliero the produce is discharged.'], from tho vessels. They urged the Smijth- •.: field Market authorities to provide fur* ;. ther storage accommodation and : other. .-.■ facilities, and to stop th 3 practice of. al-'-lowing buyers a dednctipn on Now Zea- . land meat of 21b,. per carcass of sheep, : lib. oa lambs,, and 21b. on. quarters of bsof. In audition the buyer is notchargrj cd for any .fraction of a pound in weight. I ■•' These aro serious deductions when.it isi remembered that tho exporter pays all/, charges on the gross weight of the cqnsigniucnt. In Liverpool it was ascertain-' ed theso deductions had,been discontin-! ued, while in Bristol and Manchester' they were only allowed- in order j to compete with London, The Smithfield! Market Committee wete'; very eympaUie-j tic, and promised to give the representa-j tions their favourable consideration,-buti so far the expafters'"committee have had] no definite- intimation from .them as.-toi'. what.th«y nro prepared to do. ;■-'-,-■" r 'Xhb . interviews with the .London : - port; authorities vert more' fruitful. -.- The. chairmaa, Lord Devonport, admitted that the present mtthod of handling frozen, produco in the port of. London was very I unsatisfactory, and ho promised to give] instructions for their engineer to forthwith prepare plans, specifications, and] estimates for an up-to-date freezing equipment in one of their most central docks, best suited'for the handling, discharge,; «nd distribution of produce' to the. metropolitan markets, or; inland • towns.-; Lord Devonport further asked : the corchj. mittee to have their request for better] . accommodation amplified upon their re-. turn to New Zealand. This, the committee undertook to do.;

At the suggestion of the port "anthorK ties, the- committee also approached thej : shipping companies interested in the New-. Zealand frozen meat trade.. ,The- com-,?' panics .were disposed .to-fall in with .the , proposal, provided they were properly, safeguarded in-the matter of navigating, their ships in and put of the dock. The' committee suggested that the South West. India dock should be selected for .the purpose, as it would rednce tlio present journey for loaded vans'from the Royal! Albert and Victoria dock from two andr three-quarter hours to an hour and a< half to the Smithfiold market. "'Lord'' Devonport was also desirous of obtaining; on behalf of his board a reasonable assur-i anco from exporters that if the improvements he proposes were carried' out they , . • woijld take advantago of them by having: their produce discharged there. ■•'■'•"