MEAT SHIPS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2371, 29 January 1915, Page 8

MEAT SHIPS

GOVERNMENT ACTION APPROVED. \ __ ; The Board of Control of the British ■itnd Dominions Producers' Association met yesterday. Among other .'matters, the position of the -insulated '• freight tonnage was considered. The general manager"'(Mf. H: G. Hill) reported that v he had received a communication from the Prime -Minister''.advising that the Government jha3;'airahged 'ior!''the".insu- ; Hated 6te£(mer, I ,jSuffpit : ,(nsed.,as,. a;."store ship) to VisfeSS^^jowv.Zealand - : fromthat noraeword''-ib^oVm;We^Z!MJatid - ov'-;'. ' The board -expressed- general satisfaction with the' action-■'•'taken .--by.'. the' Government with respect to the return, of the Suffolk. At the'same time, it was pointed out that the association had available for immediate shipment <«ome=6o,ooo freight'carcasses, for which ' quantity of-;meat-there was. available spaceVonly for'l'3,soo carcasses. Besides which.ats.'Waikato members':had; over , ' 2000'lead'of cattle ready for killing, when, there was available insulated tonnage. As bearing on this matter, the 'Prune-'Minister •' also wrote with reference to a communication made by him. to thegeneral manager of the New Zealand Shipping _Compan>,' as to 1600. quarters of beef stored by the association in'.the Patea works, for which no insulated steamer space could be obtained. The Shipping Company tad in'forraed the Minister that that company '-lad no; contract with the Patea Company and was unable to allot any space. l to non-contracting parties. , The chairman informed the board that had been assured by the Hon. H. D. "Bell (Minister of Internal; Affairs) that ■ "at present the Government is not using, /and does..-not propose to use,', any refrigerating- steamers for the 'purposes of transporting troops. Accepting this as correct,' the board, after some discussion,' , considered that the position was extremely satisfactory in so far as the dispatch of produce in insulated'ships. B'urther, it was agreed •that, provided shipping companies do not divert their steamers from the New Zealand: trade, the congestion of produce at the freezing stores -should he relieved at a 1 comparatively early date.