FREEZING WORKS MERGER.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18917, 4 February 1927, Page 12

FREEZING WORKS MERGER.

FARMERS' UNION RESOLUTION. [TEE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, lebruary 3. Following a discussion m committee on the Mibject ot tho propose'] freezing works merger, the executive ot the New Zen land farmers' Union pas.-><l tiio following resolution: "'J hat tho executive views with alarm tlx; apathy ot the .Meat Hoard towards the safeguarding of the farmcru' treezing works, and again asks that a committee ot enquiry lx? appointed at once to make enquiries into tho work of tlie smaller works.'' It was indicated that advances had been made in the past hy freezing companies hi the ilircction of a merger, lind that, having not been accepted, although made in the utmost good faith, it was impossible that any further advances wou'd be made by the freezing companies. , COST OF CABLES HIGHER. NEW "DEFERRED" RATE RULE. Protests were made in New Zealand when the new rule regarding the u-c of figures in "deferred" cables was introduced. Simiiat protests were made in hiiglaud, where it was at once ioiind that the new regulations greatly inconvenienced linns transuding business overseas. A rule was iiiuiie at the lust meeting ©1 the International Cable Convention that no cable messages should bo accepted. at ueleneil rates it more than one-third ol the message consisted <■>' bgureji (or iigures expressed in words;, combinations ot figures 111 letters, or tho usual codo abbreviation, and that messages bearing moro than this proportion of ligures, etc., should only be accepted hc tho ordinary full rates. Tho ".Morning Post" states that all tho cable com panics have received numerous complaints from their clients, and representations havo also been made to tho Federation of British Industries. The cable companies, how «ver, make it clear that they arc not responsiblo for the change. "The regulation was passed in November, 192*3. by tho International Cable Convention.'' said tho general manager of tho Western Union Telegraph Company. "On that body no cable company has nny voting power. In this convention, countries liko Luxemburg t. - Estonia havo as prominent n voice as Great Britain. It lias licen enforced, however, only since last November, and has already caused great dissatisfaction. 1 "Tho Western Union, indeed, intended to withdraw this regulation and to permit these deferred cables to go J at the old rates, but tho Post Office informed u<> that we must bow to tho new regulations." To gnow the great increase in cost of theso messages under the hew regulation!*, one Lancashire firm submitted the copr of a cablo transmitted to New Zealand. As the cable came.within tho restrict ion, it cost, at the full rate, £!) 4s to Rend; whereas, if it had .gone at; the old rate it would have cost only £2 6s.