MEAT TRADE CRISIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 175, 2 January 1915, Page 6

MEAT TRADE CRISIS.

COOL STORES FULL OF CARCASE*. XO STEAMERS AVAILABLE. « Wellington, December 31. , Although the Government announce' '] some time ago that sufficient shipping space would be available to carry on . the export trade to Btiitain. with little if any'delay during the present season, I'sonie fears are now entrlained tlint, , so far at any rate as the frozen meat trade is concerned, a serious crisis is likely soon to arise. This year the killing season came on a little earlier I than usual. For the first time for ' many years a number of freezing eoniI panics have been working at full prcsI sure during the month of December, and I this has caused the cool stores to !>:•- j wmc full earlier than usual. The sea- ' son has been a phenomenally dry one. jiA farmer with, say, a flock of 100) ' sheep, reckoning to kill 230 to 400 lamb.;, 1 has been anxious to get these away, lint i during the last few weeks he has met with refusals from the freezing companies to take his stock, not because of there being no killing capacity at the ■works, but because the cool chambers are full awaiting shipment, and because the freezing companies find it impossible to get space in ships. Mr. H. G. Hill, manager of the Bristol and Dominions Producers' Association, 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 where there was no steamer space. His firm had clients who could not possibly get their meat away. For the El Cordobes, one of the 'boats for January, there were applications for (apace foij 150,i)iW caycases, and the vessel had apace for only 50,000. The Wanganui works had applied for space for 10,000 carcases, and could get space for only -2000. The Patea works had met with a similar fate, space for between 8000 and 10,000 carcases being wanted and only 2000 ■cound bo sent. The position of Wanga'lrai for the month cf January was tlut they wanted space for 30,000 carcases, and* could get only SOOO away, while the Patea works wanted to ship 28,000, and had been refused all but SOOO. Thepoeition for such works was so serious that ho 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 load meat in" January. These are the Athenic, Waimana and Orari. With Hie other ships offering, these will not be sufficient by half to meet the requirements of the farriers. The Federal-Boulder-Shire line usually has six ships j with refrigerated 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. iTheir cool stores are all praci tically fully now, and in the ordinary course of events there should be no I meat held over from December to find space in the January steamers. ■ This j year the position is most acute. Not lonly are the stores full, but in view of the dry season the farmers are envious to get their stock oil' their hands, but with no ships available they will have to hold on to their sheep and cattle which will deteriorate in value, anil with a flooded market and the- war affecting the purchasing powers of the people at Home they will receive very low prices for their produce.