AFTER HOURS' TRADING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 209, 4 September 1925, Page 4

AFTER HOURS' TRADING.

MimSTEK CRITICISED.. Pertain remarks alleged to liavc been made- by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. ©. J. Anderson,, to a deputation, of Wellington tobacconists recently were taken exception to by members of the Wellington- Chamber of Commerce at its last meeting. According to Mr. South: "The Minister said 'that if the law was. enforced preventing, the sale of tobacco after Lours ho would haize to consider the question of allowing cer-ta-in shops to open, after hours/ : Ifc Wilis an extraordinary statement.. f or ii Minister of the Crown to make, thafc! I'm k not prepared to-enforce tljcrijtw, If- tl>e Miniater accepts that position, he <vill ! iave the whole community trading; after Jioum"' H(i moved that the chanibcr place on record a. protest aguiiißt tlr© Bentiments uttered %y the MiniHter.. Attav furtftcr discuseibn mcnibeiis, wJiite dineenting from the llinister'H attitude;, declined to jmsu nnymaO" Jutioii on the irmttcr.

: ARMERS; FREEZING WORKS. TAIHAPE COMPANY'S DIFFICULTIES. LIQUIDATION DEFERRED, That there fare too many freezing rorks in the Wellington province was he view expressed by Mr. l>. G. Gordon, ihairman of directors of the Otaihape ?reezing Works Company, at its annual neeting on Wednesday. The report and balance sheet which rave already been referred to in these jolumns, having been adopted, a motion 'or liquidation proposed by one of the lirectorSj Mr. Lilburn, was proceeded ,vith. During the discussion the following salient points were emphasised: The agreement with Feiiding was on the issumption that f>o.ooo freight carcases ivould be available, but only 34,000 were supplied from the Taihape district. Fielding prices were better on the average, rhrough the Taihape district supplied 35,000 carcases to the Taihape works in the previous season, at id per lb lees than the price paid by the competing arms, they only supplied 34,000 carcases ' when the Taihape Company's stock was frozen at Feiiding, though prices were better than those of the competing firms. That there were too many freezing works in the Wellington province, and some of them could not continue the disastrous competition and would go to the wall iooner or later. The opinion was expressed that if this happened there would be a chance for the Taihape works in the future and in the meantime the Taihape Company should take full advantage of the Feiiding arrangement for the next two seasons to shelter from the storm. That when the share capital is called up the security of the guarantors will be gone, and it would tje unfair to burden them with any additional losses. The mere retention of the worke was a guarantee of the continuance of competition in buying which benefited the farmers, but if the works were scrapped completely that competition would cease and the farmers would be at the mercy of the proprietary concerns for all time. Under the new railway tariff, dead stock can be railed cheaper "than live stock for the first time since the establishment of the works eleven years ago. That 60,000 freight carcases supplied to Feiiding in the coming season would return a profit to Taihape of over £700, It was decided to adjourn the meeting for four weeks to enable a thorough and widespread canyas to be made for guarantees of stock for the coming season, the stock to be frozen at lending under the existing agreement. The motion to go into liquidation was held over pending the result of the canvass. A meeting of the guarantors on the previous evening guaranteed 12,000 head of stock, and every shareholder of the fifty present guaranteed stock for next season. It is expected that the whole amount of the stock necessary will be j guaranteed within the next four weeks.