THE FREIGHTS QUESTION

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9882, 12 November 1897, Page 3

THE FREIGHTS QUESTION

The following correspondence appeared in a recent issue of the New Zealand Time* : —

Sir, —In a letter undated, but presumably from the post-mark distributed about 20th October—a copy of which he forwarded to me —Mr W. C. Buchanan says :—" The aim of the Freight Committee from the first was to combine wool, meat and dairy produce, and knowing full well that the Islington and Belfast Freezing Companies, of Christchurch, dealt with half the total meat output of New Zealand, and virtually held the key of the freight question, I therefore at once interviewed both of these Companies, pointing out all these facts, and also addressed meetings at Timaru and Dunedin." He then goes on to repeat, by distributing the letter, the misstatement which hf. made in a letter to the Wairarapa Standard on the 24th September last, a* follows : —" Unfortunately, in the meantime the Islington Company, whose shares are largely held by the Shipping Companies, and regardless of other interests, succumbed to the pressure pnt upon them by the Shipping Companies, and accepted a five years' contract at a reduced rate in lieu of the old one, which had over a year to run." It seems stranse that a gentleman of Mr Buchanan's standing should depart from facts and insist on virtually repeating an error into which he had fallen, after the fqllowiug letter had been written to him by the Managing Director of the Christchurcli Meat Company (referred toby Mr Buchanan as the Islington), and which I now enclose to you for publication. Instead of our succumbing to the pressure of the Shipping Companies, you will see the opposite was the case, and was the result of a long negotiation by us with them. The request made in the Manager's letter, so far as I am aware, has not been complied with, but aggravated by a repetition of the statement that the shares of the Islington Company are largely held by the Shipping Companies. A? to Mr Buchanan's action with regard to freights generally, all I have to say is that in my opinion it is fortunate for the country that we entered into our contract with the Shipping Companies, as poasibly the freezing ships would have followed suit with the others, and the meat trade would have materially suffered for some time to come.— I am, &c,

J. T. Pkacock, A Director of Christchurch Meat Company. Wellington, 10th November, 1897. [copy.]

W. C. Buchanan, Esq., M.H.R.. House of Representatives, Wellington

Dear Sir, —I am surprised to receive a copy of the Wairarapa Standard of 24th September, containing a long letter from you on the freight question. In this letter the following statement is made by yoii : — " Unfortunately in the meantime the Islington Company, whose shares are largely held by the Shipping Companie?, and regardless of other interests, succumbed to the pressure put upon them by the Shipping Companies and accepted a five years' contract at a reduced rate in lieu of the then old one." I am exceedingly surprised at your making such a statement, and giving it the publicity you have done, a3 the who'e statement is absolutely contrary to fact. The Shipping Companies do not hold and never have held, a single share in the Christchurch Meat Company. Instead of the Christchurch Meat Company studying the Shipping Companies' interests I have to inform you that out of seventy-one shareholders on the register of the Company forty-nine are farmers. The Christchurch Meat Company is pre-eminently the Freezing Company of the small farmer, and it is their interests which the Company seeks to study. The sole object of the Christchurch Meat Company in proposing to the Shipping Companies the reduction of freight, was to benefit its shareholders and constituents, the small farmers. The Christchurch Meat Company approached the Shipping Companies, and therefore there could not possibly be any pressure put upon the Chrietchurch Meat Company by the Shipping Companies. As you were informed when in Chriacchurch, the saving to the freezing clients of the Christchnrch Meat Company amounts to £80,000 for the unexpired * period. As you have made and published the above damaging statement about the Christchurcb. Meat Company, I must ask you in a like manner to make the retraction in terms of this letter equally public, and I now give you the opportunity of doing so.—l am, yours faithfully, for the Christchurch Meat Company, Limited, (Signed) Gilbert Axdeesox, Managing Director. Christchurch, New Zealand, October 4th, 1897.