Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-07
COLD STORAGE PLANT
RECOMMENDATION OF AMERI-
CAN WAREHoUsEMEN.

The proposed establishment of govern
ment cold storage plant iD this city was
Endorsed by the convention of American
warehousemen at the New Willard yes
terday afternoon before final adjournment
A report of the special committee of the
organization on the subject was adopted,
and such assistance and cooperation as
the Department of Agriculture may re-
quire" was rendered by the American
Warehousemen's Association.
The report of the committee recites that
for several years the Department Of
Agriculture, through its bureaus of plant
industry. chemistry and animal industry,
has been doing notable work in the in
vestigation of the effects of artificially
produced temperatures in cold storage on
food products, and the results obtained
have been of signal benefit to the public,
including the producer, the cold storage
WarehOuseman and the consumer
when this work was first begun the
question of temperatures was considered
to be the important factor. where now it
is appreciated that the proper humidities
for the various commodities, the purity of
the air from dust and harmful bacteria,
the proper circulation of air and the
ventilation of the cold rooms are of equal
Importance.
while the American Warehousemens
Association, both as an association and
through its cold storage members has al
ways willingly co-operated with the De-
partment of Agriculture to the extent of
its ability in furnishing refrigerated space,
services. etc. for these investigations, and
is still and will ever remain ready to do
so, 1t is apparent to your committee and
to the department officials as we'll, that
1t is becoming increasingly more difficult
and soon will be impossible for CONNER
cial cold storage houses to furnish the
facilities absolutely essential to the fur
Their successful prosecution of the investi-
cations that the department had planned
in this very necessary work.
Is Necessity.
In view of this condition and the work
of a kindred character that is sure to
develop under the laws relating to pure
foods now enacted, and the new lines of
inquiry sure to be opened up in connec-
ton Herewith, it appears to your COM
mittee that well-designed cold storage
plant is an absolute essential to the
proper equipment of the department.
Your committee is strongly of the
opinion that such a government expert
ment cold storage plant should be speed
lily installed. and that it should be a
model plant in construction and mechani-
cal equipment-such a plant as will in all
its adjuncts serve as an OBJECT lesson to
the refrigerating interests of the entire
country, which. now in its infancy, rep
resents an investment of a hundred mil
lion dollars and that it should be situated
at Washington, in close proximity to the
Department of Agriculture. Such build
ing. properly equipped with all modern
appliances and machinery, erected on
government land, the value of which need
not be considered, of substantial but not
costly design, and of the cold storage
capacity of 100000 cubic feet, should cost
approximately 100000. and its annual
cost of maintenance should be approx
mately $4,000"
The committee submitted a pencil
sketch of plan of building that may
be. of service as a basis upon which a
more elaborate one can be constructed"