SAFEGUARDING FOODSTUFFS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1782, 29 January 1918, Page 4

SAFEGUARDING FOODSTUFFS.

A statement has been published in the London press regarding the sinking of vessels while passing from one English port to another. Regarding the ease of a vessel with a large cargo of meat which recently reached a United Kingdom port and was ordered to proceed to another port, it is explained that the ship was escorted into the lirst port —on the south coast —because of engine disablement. Consequently her arrival there was not originally intended. Adequate cold storage accommodation was not available, and in the absence of the necessary facilities, she was directed, after repair, to proceed to the nearest suitable port. On her way to the second port, and while escorted, she was torpedoed and sunk. The cargo consisted of nearly 4,000 tons of meat, and a few hundred tons of other cargo. Last May attention was called, both in Parliament and in the press, to two cases of vessels which were sunk after leaving United Kingdom ports. It was then stated that the Shipping Controller would lake action, to ensure that, as far as possible, ships with valuable cargoes of foodstnil's should be unloaded at the first, port of call. Following those eases two attempts were made to discharge meat cargoes at a southern port, but th. resulted, it is stated, in a very considerable loss of valuable food. Authorities in the meat trade know that meat cargoes cannot be discharged at any port. It is imperative to have extensive insulated warehouses at the port, or long trains of insulated trucks must he in readiness. The construction of refrigerated warehouses represents a formidable task, especially in these times of short supplies of the material and insulated labour. The provision of long trains of insulated trucks at any port suddenly is a matter which would he beyond the powers of the railway executive. The Ministry of Shipping fully recognises (hat when a ship reaches a United Kingdom port, for whatever reason, the cargo should he, if at all possible, discharged there. Every possible step is being taken to improve the discharging facilities at all the out ports. In this connection new provision is being made for dealing with hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo at various United Kingdom ports.