SCARCITY OF MEAT-CARRYING SHIPS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 105, 6 January 1915, Page 3

SCARCITY OF MEAT-CARRYING SHIPS.

| A ( RLSiS LIKELY. COOL STORES GETTING BLOCKE O . WORKS LIKELY TO CLOSE DOWN. WELLINGTON, Friday. Although the Government announced some time ago that sufficient shipping space would be available ;to carry on' the export trade to Britain with little if any delay during the present season, some fours are now entertained that. • so far at'any rate as the frozen meal .trade 1$ concerned, a serious crisis *s likely soon to aiiso. This g'Shr t,b.e killing season came a little'earlier than usual for the first time for many years, A number of freezing companies have been working at full pressure during the month of December, and this has caused the cool stores to become full earlier than usual. The season has been a phenomenally dry one. A farmer with, say. a flock of 1000 sheen, reckoning to kill 250 to 400 lambs, has been anxious to get these away, but during the last few weeks he has me r with refusals from the freezing companies to take his shock, not, because of there being no killing capacity at the works, but because cool chambers are full awaiting shipment, and because the freezing companies find I it impossible to gel space in the ships. Mr H. G. Hill, manager of the Bristol and Dominions Producers’ Associa. ticn, when asked for his views on the position last night, told a reporter that it did not surprise him at all to learn that the freezing companies were closing down, or contemplating doing so. They had no option when there w-as no steamer space. His firm had clients who could not possibly get, their meat away. For the El Cordobas, one of the boats for January, there were applications for space for 150,000 carcases, and the vessel bad space for only 50,000; the Wanganui works had applies for 10,000 carcases and could get space for only 2,000; the Patea works had „ met with a similar fate, space for between 8000 and 10,000 carcases being wanted and only 2000 could be sent.. The position of Wanganui for the month of January was that they wanted space for 30,000 carcases and could get only 8000 away, while the /Patea works wanted! to ship 28,000 and had been refused all but 8000. The position for such works was so serious that he expected them to close, because they could not go on killing while there was no steamer space available!. Only three of the steamers which took the troops to Egypt will return in time to lead meat in February. These are the Athenic, Waimana and Orari. With the other ships offering these will not be sufficient by half to meet the requirements of the farmers. The Federal HculderShire Line usually has six ships with refrigerator space leaving New Zealand during January, February, and March. This year they have only two. The freezing companies have met with a serious shortage of space during December. Their cool stores are all prac. tically full now, ami in the ordinary course of ovnts there should he no*, meat held over from December to find space in the January steamers. This year the position is most acute. Not only are the stores full, but in view cf the dry season the farmers are anxious to get their stock off their hands; but with no ships available they will have to hold on to their sheep and cattle, which will deteriorate in value, and with a flooded market and the war affeeting the purchasing powers of the people at Home they will receive very low prices for their produce.