CHILLED MEAT

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 106, 7 May 1934, Page 10

CHILLED MEAT

SHIPOWNER'S ASSURANCE

CO-OPERATION WITH

SHIPPERS

(By Telegraph) (Special to the "Evening Post.")

AUCKLAND, May 6.

."Shipowners generally were never more anxious to combine -with, shippers to make tho : chilled meat business successful and profitable to all concerned than they,are today," said-Sir Thomas Robinson, of London, a director of the New Zealand and Federal Steam Navigation Shipping Company, who arrived by the Monterey from Sydney.

"I have been in conference' with my colleagues on board on all points connected with this new development in Australia," said Sir Thomas, "and when I return to London we.shall adapt our tonnage as far as may be necessary to cope with the business and to cooperate with shippers to make it a success."

Sir Thomas, who is accompanied by Lady Robinson, has spent about three months in Australia on a combined business and holiday visit, and will leave Wellington on Friday by theRangitata for England. "The meat trade has engaged a good deal of my attention in Australia," said Sir Thomas. "A great change is taking place in the beef trade owing to researches at Cambridge and experiments at this end. A period of 40 days between the kill-and tho consumer was sufficient for tile River Plate trade,'but this was not long enough to cover the voyage between England and Australia.. However, by an admixture of atmosphere with gases which arc in no way deleterious to tho meat the period during which meat can be safely maintained in a chilled condition has been increased to between 50 and 60 days. In order to meet the requirements of economical carriage wo want that period extended by another 10 days at least if possible." He said he had been assured by abattoir authorities in Australia that tho treatment would not increase costs las compared with frozen meat by more than the equivalent of 1-32 of a penny per pound, f.o.b. This he thought was a,hopeful indication. The. increase of 1-32 of a penny would obviously be more than compensated for by the market return, perhaps 2d per pound greater than that from frozen beef.