COLD STORAGE PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 166, 3 April 1918, Page 8

COLD STORAGE PROBLEM

PROPOSED RESEARCH BOARD : IMPORTANT POSSIBILITIES J - ■ The announcement in a recent cableI, gram from England thai a scientific | • rese^rc^Aboard is about to be created I •- to investigate cold storage problems |. - contains,- in the opinion of 'ocal exI ' porters (says the_Auckland "Herald"), i " important possibilities _for the future 1 ' of the industry in this country. Hie ! , prospective appointment of Australian ! ; and- New Zealand representatives to ! '~ 'the board is regarded with great satisj 'faction. It is stated that New Zea- , • land and Australia have in the meat : . - industry a very serious competitor in I - the Argentine Republic, and that it is I \ of vital importance'that the quality of [•'; the meat exported from this country ! should;he improved in every direction ! ■ possible'without increasing the cost, and j , that, the industry ns a whole bo | . safeguarded, in order to meet the com- :■ . petition from South America. ;■■■ - A statement regarding tbn proposed ■ research board, and the method of its '{ ■ investigation, was made to the 1 '"Herald" by Mr. G. L. D. James, con- ; suiting refrigerating engineer, who has ii' an intimate knowledge of the meati:' freezing industry in -nil parts of the world. He said the cost of production ! in New Zealand was a serious item, as ! against the cost in South America. In i . the Argentine Republic labour in coiii. - Motion with the construction of freczf • :ing works was half as costly as in New Zealand. In addition, the Republican ; ' Government remitted'the Customs duty ! on the whole of the material required '"j , lii the construction of the works, and 1 { in other oases the Customs duty on i ... the whole of the goods and material re- , quired for operating was also remitted. IThis put the. capital charges at a minij mum. Refrigerating steamers from I 'the Argentine cpuld make two or three j',-: trips to England with full freights, as \ against ono trip from Now Zealand. On I '(account of all these factors_ combined }, ' the iSouth American countries could v . land meat in London at about half the j , cost that' New Zealand exporters could. !;' in Refrigerators. L Mr. James said the appointment of ; the research board was an important | .'New Zealand producers and , exporters, because, it:.was time serious j consideration was given to . tho ques,of.|the'. efffect .of the present methods.,of: freezing, on tho colour, tissue,, and iweight.of the meat. Special officers were''serit.; on the steamers | * ? conveying frozen' meat from tho Ar- : to England, who' saw that ! .the temperature in the .refrigerating ' chambers ; was kept at the proper. :. love). On;, the, ships from Aus- : tralia and ~ New Zealand no' ; such, officers were sent, and the re- | frigerating engineers, when nearing tho i tropics, kept a very low temperature in i. the chambers, in order to guard against j any breakdown in the machinery. This excessively low temperature had a; bad ; effect on the meat, and made it dark in colour, took, the elasticity out of the | tissue, and tended to further reduce the weight. Then, when the thawing j took place on arrival of tho meat in |' England the tissue became flabby, and i : -so was subjected to unfair competition ■"'"•iwith the meat' from the Argentine. . The varying effects of air circulation | to cool meat after killing, as against ;' the natural cooling in the open, was one ; of the things'" which should be studied ■ by the board. If, for instance, Mr. ;. James stated, meat-was allowed to cool ■ jnn a, room in. which there was great [humidity, the shrinkage in weight! would r not be so great as otherwise, and there ' was no effect, on the quality of the j meat. If, therefore,' ono' per cent, in j .weight was saved in this manner during I -cold storage and transport, it would ; be an important "item to the New Zea- ' !land exporter.. During the year ending July 31, 1917, the total number of carcasses of sheep exported from New ; /Zealand was .6,342,940, and an addi- : wtional one per cent.-of weight on this . ('Dumber of carcasses would amount to ;|a very large i sum i-on the aggregate. ; JiMr. James pid it would pay the Govn«rnment to expend £100,000 on an in- . Westigatibn'of this kirid .'alone. • H Experiments Advocated. Mr. James- said that the research pjjboard should "conduct : "experimepts in : {New Zealand conjointly with those in ' nEngland, in order to arrive at a fair !■ {conception of'the.'position; The condi- : itiqns* relating', to .freezing,.'and. cool storting in England and. jZealand were altogether different.'on- account of the. ; Mimate in,the., twp-countries. He was. : jjof opinion; jttat :; experimental, 'rooms r-should be .erected ;in-Ji[.ustralia and 'New ' pZealand, -so that parcelsTof meat could' ;.libe treated under each system, and a ; Satisfactory comparison ' made. Then %,|the meat could be sent to Loudon under jf.Uha ■ ordinary conditions of transport, f ;and tested on arrival. The vital point, s ;So far as the Dominion was concerned, :i.;was the reduction of the cost of production without impairing the quality of L ithe meat. Mr. James indicated methods which could be investigated by the I Jboard to arrive at this end. . He said I jihe problem could nofc be dealt with t : jtheoretically by scientists. The board s 1 ,«hould consist of fcientists, practical {i Resigning refrigerating engineers and | Exporters, in order to obtain the best jliesults. .