CRISIS AT HAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 212, 15 February 1915, Page 3

CRISIS AT HAND.

FREEZING WORKS TO CLOSE. SHIPPING FACILITIES lIOPEU:>\SLY INADEQUATE. Ciiristchurch, February 11. Owing to till- shortage of insulated tonnage, a grave position has arisen in regard to tile frozen meat- industry in the .South Island. The guarded, but weighty, warning voiced by Mr. K night at yesterday's meeting of the Christchurch Meat Company has been followed n;i by the following circular issued by the company to its clients: "We regret to have to advise that tile refrigerated tonnage which is notified to us by the shipping companies as available for the period from now to the end of May is so hopelessly inadequate to meet even the. normal requirements of the South Island during the period referred to, that, as was publicly notified in our chairman's speech at our annua", meeting, which took place yesterday, we see no prospects of our various factories being able to continue operations after another two weeks or so. It is impossible at this date to state exactly when the blockage will take place at each point, or to what extent the shipping facilities offering next month will enable us to resume. You will, however, be notified later, when we are in a posi- ! tion to give the exact dates."

The Canterbury Fro7.cn Meat Company also notify that, owing to the want of shipping accommodation, the Belfast work's will close down until further notice. The position is undoubtedly a serious one. both commercially and industrially. The meat works of Canterbury give employment to thousands of workers, many of whom will find themselves unemployed. The stock market, which at present is at the top of J'le season, will also be severely affected, and that will react on the farming and business, conimnnitv.

One of the principals of a leading ijtock agency firm said that, though the notification of the closing of the works had been made, he could not believe that the announcement would nil an a total closing. It was well known that many meat exporting firms had considerable space bonked in the works, and the scale of their operations yesterday did not. forecast any such calamity a», the total closing of the works. Though beef was not purchased by exporters, it did not, appear by the >dioop sales that the difficulty was lkely to come to a head so soon.