Colonel THORNEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller whether during 1915, 1916, and 1917 a line of Messrs. Lamport and Holt's refrigerator boats traded between Buenos Aires and New York mainly carrying frozen meat; how long during 1918 were these lines employed on these voyages; and what were the principal goods carried from New York to Buenos Aires and also from Argentina to America on the return journey?
§ Colonel LESLIE WILSONUp to an early date in 1916 Messrs. Lamport and Holt ran a regular service of refrigerator vessels between Buenos Aires and New York. These vessels on the south-bound voyage carried passengers and general cargo (manufactured goods, oil, etc., and fruit in season) and on the north-bound voyage chilled meat, passengers and mails. Owing to the demand for meat imports in this country arrangements were made in the spring of 1916 to bring these vessels to the United Kingdomviâ New York, with refrigerated cargo, the vessels returning to the River Plate by the same route and loading general cargo from New York to the River Plate. This triangular service was maintained until the beginning of 1918 when the pressure on refrigerated tonnage and trooping requirements rendered it necessary to bring two of the vessels into the direct service between New York and the United Kingdom, and the third into the direct service between the River Plate and the United Kingdom. Since the beginning of the present year, arrangements have been made to resume the triangular service under which these steamers proceed viâ New York on the service between the United Kingdom and the River Plate, their refrigerated spaces still being reserved for meat imports for this country.