THE REFRIGERATING PROCESS.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 199, 22 September 1888, Page 2

THE REFRIGERATING PROCESS.

Although prices realised at home for New Zea* land dairy produce are on the whole pretty satisfactory, yet there still exists an unwillingness on the part of farmers to export their butter and cheese, on account of the great danger of those articles being spoiled on the voyage, and rendered unsaleable, or at any rate they are sold at prices which will barely cover the charges for freight etc, Several experts have lately been making enquiries into the causes of the utter or partial destruction of dairy produce during the voyage from New Zealand to England, and most of them have come to the conclusion that the danger is caused by the insufficient fittings of the steamers engaged in the freezing trade. The steamers are only provided with one freezing machine, which they maintain is not sufficient to keep up an even temperature throughout the voyage. Dairy produce is usually carried in a so-called cool chamber and its proximity to the freezing machine is supposed to keep it at a low temperature. For the first week or two after a steamer leaves New Zealand the natural tern perature is very low, and the butter and cheese are frozen hard. As the vessel comes into the warmer regions the temperature rises until, when near the Equator, the butterand cheese are melting, the freezing machine not being sufficiently powerful to keep down the temperature in the chamber. When the vessel nears England, and the temperature becomes lower again the produce is again cooled down, but the melting it has received in the tropics has already seriously damaged it. It js a well known fact that freezing is injurious to either butter or cheese, and the effect of being first frozen, then melted, and then cooled down again is hardly likely to have a beneficial effect on it. Gentlemen who has carefully studied the matter say they have often found cheese on arrival in England all run together, and of course this renders it practically unsaleable. Butter does not suffer so much as cheese, but such, treatment can hardly fail to have a prejudicial effect on its salp. wa J remedying the evil apparently, is to get increased facilities on board steamers for regulating the temperature of the “ cool ” chambers. Of course this may be objected to by the shipping companies as it would undoubtedly cause extra expense in the purchase of another machine for each vessel, and no doubt that would mean extra labor in supervising, etc. But if the trade in dairy produce between New Zealand and England is eyer to become a profitable one this extra expense must be incurred, and the sooner the better for the farmers, and no doubt it would pay the shipping companies equally as Well, as the trade if successful, is sure to be a growing

one, and it would yield a handsome profit to all parties concerned. Not only does dairy produce suffer from the ill regulation of the temperature in the chambers, but it also is injurious to the meat trade—beef especially so, mutton not being so liable to spoil. When in the tropics it has been found that the machines were not of sufficient strength, and those carcases furthest away from the refrigerator have been found to become’tainted, and in many cases have been condemned on reaching London. There is no doubt if the trade with England in dairy produce is to be a success something must be done to remedy the evil complained of, and when this is done the products of New Zealand will begin to be properly appreciated at Home. At present the American dairy produce, owing to the better facilities in shipping, is very much more in favor in England than that of New Zealand, though if compared when fresh from the dairy it would be found that New Zealand butter and cheese—butter especially—is immeasurably superior to the American, and in fact even to the Danish. Lately, in spite of the unfortunate circumstances attending its shipment, it has realised prices equal to those realised by the best butter obtained from the continent, and there is no doubt that all things being equal, it would soon supplant the foreign article in the English market. We sincerely hope that this district may soon be able to take the foremost position to which its natural advantages entitle it in the export trade, but it is well that anything we set about should be done with our eyes open, and the lessons that have already been conveyed should be studied and turned to account by those who are interested in this district—and who is not ?