THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 15 



the railway service and the reconstruction on fresh lines of the 

 whole export trade of the country. As a purely war measure, 

 an increase in cold storage might be justiiied, but the necessity 

 is not so pressing as it is sometimes made out to be. There are 

 now between 80 and 90 cold stores in the country with accom- 

 modation for more than 1,000 tons each, their total storage 

 capacity being 289,000 tons of meat stowed solid, or 230,000 

 tons stowed to marks for easy delivery. This represents about 

 four months' supply of the frozen meat imported in normal 

 times. It does not take account of the very large number of 

 small stores in the country, having a capacity of less than 1,000 

 tons each ; but, on the other hand, it makes no provision for the 

 large quantities of goods other than meat which must be stored 

 in refrigerated chambers, 



"If, after fuller expert consideration than the subject has yet 

 received from traders, it be deemed prudent to launch out upon 

 any national scheme of store building, it might be well to consider 

 the advantages of erecting stores of moderate size — say 1/2000 

 tons capacity — in every big military camp in the country. Let all 

 these installations be identical in plan, with standardised 

 machinery and accessories; let them be of a temporary nature, 

 capable of being readily removed to other sites ; keep them filled 

 with perishable foodstuffs, drawn direct from ship's side at any 

 port at which meat is being discharged, or replenished from 

 local supplies when these are plentiful. With cheap land, 

 abundance of labour, and the minimimi of difficulty about pro- 

 viding daily rations, such a method of storing food should prove 

 much more economical than building large stores specially de- 

 signed for each port, having no guarantee of constant employ- 

 ment during the war, nor of any employment at all in peace 

 times. ' ' 



The Continent of Europe. 



"Last year, frozen meat business on the Continent was again 

 of a special character, inasmuch as deliveries, practically with- 

 out exception, were made under Government Contracts for Army 

 supplies. 



"France. — Arrivals of frozen meat were regularly maintained 

 at French ports throughout the year, so that the aggregate 

 quantity imported was fully as important as diTring the pre- 

 ceding year. Precise figures, however, are not available. The 

 whole import was utilised for feeding the Allied Armies, with 

 the exception of relatively insignificant quantities which the 



