MEAT EXPORT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2913, 27 October 1916, Page 8

MEAT EXPORT

PAYMENT OF STORAGE

CONFERENCE OF FREEZING COMPANIES •

The conference of representatives of freeing companies convened by the Minister of Industries and Commerce was duly held yestordaV morning. Tlio f jaeai companies being for tho most part merely fwozors of moat on bohalf of 1 producers .or shippers, are presumed not to bo spooially interested ill tho priccs paid by the Imperial Government for ' moat, and tho new schedule of prices was not submitted to them. They were asked to consider certain proposals made by the Imperial Bo.ud of Trade concerning the payment of storage on meat awaiting shipment. Under tho agreement made when the meat purchase . scheme was inaugurated, the Board of Trade pyd all, storage. Meat was Ho bo held in store for one mouth fre«, and thereafter at tho rato of one-eightli of a penny per pound per month or portion of a month, with a maximum of three-eighths of a penny. This meant Nthat meat held for a longer period than four; months lvas li©!cL free of storage charges. This arrangement proved very profitable to the companies, and very costly to the Board of Trade, which paid up to a recent date a total of £7/50,000 for storage of moat in Now • Zealand. The companies that had ample storage space availablo colleoted about ,:.,2s. per carcase storage on .all meat going through* their works. The pro--posal of the Bi>ard of Trado was to re- ■ -duco'tho cost of storage. Exactly.what -the new proposal was has not been '''"'disclosed, because tho members of the " conference agreed that nothing of tho proceedings - should be public. C, f i : hc conference, however, did'not accept ..(the proposals. A committee has been — appointed to draw, up a report and sub~mit counter-proposals, which will in ■•'effect meet the/ Board of Trade' "halfway." '

A conference of representatives of tho producers will now bo held, aud it is probable that the latter conference will ha vo before it tho storage proposals as well as tho new prices schedule. It .is. possible, that the demand of ttea Board of Trade to be relieved of some of the burden of storage will mean that a portion-of the charge will have to be ./Jiorne- by the shippers-