FREEZING COMPANIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVIII, Issue 288, 14 May 1915, Page 2

FREEZING COMPANIES.

SOME IXTERKSTINt: POINTS. Tile following illuminating letter .ay-' pears in the Stratford l'ost:—T!ie'interest created by the movement for the establishment of a Fanners' Fivesting Woivs in Northern Taranaki directs settlers attention to the meat questiori generally, to the shortage in the world's supplies, and to the extraordinary' efforts made to expedite transport under the 'handicap oi inadequate insulate.l shipping space, due largely to war Conditions, l'ive years baek meat everywhere was in quest of markets; to-day tiie position is reversed, and the markets are looking for the meat. -The owners of the great lines of insultcu steamers are keenly alive to tiie prospcctn e les.ili.ant expansion m production arising uiul.-r the stimulus of unsatisfied demand, and it is noteworthy thai at the present time, notwithstamlingthc war, twenty-one steamers are 'being limilt for the New Zealand-l'nitcd Kingdom frozm meat trade, providing refrigerated space for -1% million dolb" mutton earca .es. The list is as follows.—Aberdeenshire, capacity 130,01)0 carcases; Almanxorn, 00,000; Cornwall, IJevon, Cumberland, Northumberland, and iWestmoreland, 130,000 each; iMaiana, 120,000; Furncss-llouMer line, live steamers,lso- - each; Lamport and Holt line, five steamers, each 123,70(1; Orient line, one steamer, 35,0011 • and the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, two steamers, capacity 120, OK) carcases each. When the 3 e boats are completed, the carrying capacity oi tile, fleet trading with New Zealand Ivill be increased -ln ( fifty per cent, and the problem as to refrigerated space will be. solved satisfactorily for the producer. On the Continent of Europe the wai ! b'ls wrought changes in the meat position. Belgian flocks and herds have, been confiscated for (ierman use. France I in Iht oiislerii thoiitru of war in six months lost 1,750,000 cattle. Twelve months ago the French Academy of .Sciences, a body representative of all interests, including agrarianism, and so influential that its recommendations are invariably given effect to by Parliament, eauied a resolution that- l'elrigvration should only be used in France to help export and not import industries. I'mlei the sires, of war, the military authorities are now in control, and have introduced 150,000 tons of frozen meat. This huge total represents twice the total output of beef from Australia in a normal year, and the Academy of Sciences, cancelling its previous 'decision, resohed: (1) to give a place to frozen meat in considering national meat supplies for the civil and military population; (2) to create without waiting until the end of the war, in the large centres of consumption, refrigerating depots of a sufficient capacity to hold such frozen meat supplies on the lines of the large stores in threat Jiritain. These and numerous similar facts put the question very plainly to New Zealand farmers, "(.'an you increase your output'.'" The New Zealand Year JSook statistics place the number of sheep in New Zealand at roUU(ll\| 21,50ll,i)00. For our own use and for freezing purposes we slaughter roughly 8,000000 ,-heep annually, ' The "<»'k liguns nr.- compiled as at .'!"lh April. When six months of the busie.'t part ot the ki'luig season are completed. To say that 0,000,000 sheep are killed during tiie.se months is a. guarded istimaie, and consequently if wc have :!1 1 million sheep on the 30th Apr',! we must have lmd 30J millions .m the previous :;ist October, before killing creniiOiUvd sod win n ie.iol) docking and lail.ug was complett-d. This auiulysis of Vcar Hock lignrcs approaches very closely to aceurtcy. Xc,»' assuming tha't of our maximum number 13 millions are bra ding ewes, and given an 80 per <■;)/[_ lamhieg ow ;• holh islands, we can kill more sheep than now, allow a million for dealhs from natural causes, and

provide Jor dock increase from vear to year until area limitations begin to operate. '1 lie optimism everywhere in regard to supplies in face of the numerous new freezing works projects is due to careful examination of the whole position. The incentive to eil'ort in every branch of primary product ion is greater now than it has ever been in our history, and in connection with provincial development the rarmcrs' Freezing orks has become an indispensa be necessity. A spirited effort is all that is needed to reach achievement. Should W'e let tlie opportunity slip, \\v shall richly deserve a continuance of the conditions existing during the past two years. 1 a l :' etc., SI'ITTI.ER. Whangaluomona, loih May, Rll,).