FREEZING WORKS IN NEW ZEALAND

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28203, 15 February 1957, Page 5 (Supplement)

FREEZING WORKS IN NEW ZEALAND

Seventeen Established Within Ten Years W H K the first shipment from New Zealand set the seal of success on the new frozen meat trade, refrigeration quickly became as important a part of the industry as the production of livestock, and within 10 years there were 17 freezing works in the country, a number more than doubled today. First freezing works in the country, and the second in the world, was the Burnside works, near Dunedin, of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company. A few years later the company built works at Oamaru.

The company’s capital was £20,000, divided into 4000 shares of £5, and the first directors were Messrs John Roberts. C.M.G. (Murray Roberts and Company, Ltd.), W. J. Larnach, E. B. Cargill, E. J. Spence (Dalgety and Company, Ltd.), R. Wilson, A. C. Begg (Robert Campbell and Company, Ltd.), and James Shand. The secretary was Mr W. Cunningham-Smith. Mr Larnach was the first chairman of the company, but in 1883 Mr (later Sir John) Roberts took over the position and held it until 1905, when the company amalgamated with the Christchurch Meat Company, which had been formed in 1883. The company in 1882 froze the meat cargo—Bso6 carcases—for the Marsala, the first steamer to take meat from New Zealand. It was the third shipment from the country. In its second year, the company loaded the steamers Sorrento, Fenstanton and lonic and killed for the Dunedin's second voyage 8295 sheep, which were railed to the ship. and frozen on board. Belfast Begins The second company formed in New Zealand was the Canterbury Frozen Meat and Dairy Produce Export Company, Ltd., which was incorporated in 1882, and began operations in the following February at Belfast. Sponsors were Messrs John Grigg, of Longbeach, John Macfarlane.'of Coldstream, Rangiora, and John Tinline, of Amuri. Mr John Cooke, then Canterbury manager of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., was largely instrumental in the formation of the company. The first directors were Messrs Frederick Banks, William Chrystall, Cooke, John T. Ford and Grigg, with Mr Frederick Waymouth as secretary. Slaughtering began on February 16, 1883, and the first shipment left from Lyttelton on the steamer British King on April 8. By coincidence, the first meat from Belfast was carried in a ship which had been built in Belfast, Ireland, commanded by Captain Kelly, of Belfast. One of the directors, Mr Cooke, had also been born in Belfast. In 1889, the company opened the Fairfield works, near Ash-

burton, and in 1904 built - a big plant at Pareora. Quality First At the time of the founding, of the company, it was determined, through the wisdom of Mr John Grigg, to' make quality the first consideration in passing meat through for freezing. This decision at once led to Canterbury mutton and Canterbury lamb taking the premier position on the London market for frozen meat, and commanding a premium over all other meat shipped from New Zealand. Mr John Grigg was chairman of the company from its inception until ill-health compelled him to relinquish office in 1899, when Mr W. Chrystall was appointed chairman. He died in 1900 and was succeeded by Mr John Deans, who died in 1902. Sir George Clifford then held the position for 28 years, until his death in 1930. He was followed by Mr John Deans, a son of the earlier chairman, who still occupies the office. The company, from its inception, has been guided by representatives on the board of families who from the early days have been closely linked with the progress of pastoral pursuits in Canterbury. This has been largely responsible for the company’s policy of fostering and protecting the interests of the farmer. Mr John Guigg was followed on the board by his son, Mr J. C. N. Grigg, at whose death in 1926 his grandson, Mr J. H.. Grigg, who is still a director, was appointed. Another noteworthy fact was Sir George Clifford’s long chairmanship of the company. He joined the board in 1901, and, as stated above, was appointed chairman the following year—an office he held until his death. Sir George Clifford was well known throughout New Zealand as a breeder of first-class stock, a producer of fat sheep and lambs of the highest quality. His wise guidance had much to do for the strength of the company today. The stock killed at the' three works in the 1955-56 season constituted a record for the company and the net profit for the financial year ended October 31, 1956, amounted to £218,039. The present directors of the company are Messrs John Deans (chairman), J.. H. Grigg, L. D. Cotterill, S. E. Mair, M. F. Macfarlane. and H. H. Elworthy. The New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Ltd., which, in 1905,

absorbed the. original Dunedin firm of that name and now owps five big works—lmlay (Wanganui), Picton, Islington. Smithfield (Timaru), and Burnside (Dunedin)—was founded in 1888 as the Christchurch Meat Company, Ltd. The company was really started in the interests of the small farmer who could not afford to consign his meat to London or whose stock available for freezing was not of sufficient quantity for him to undertake the export trade. The company pooled these farmers’ lots. The enterprise thus shown by this firm in the early days and by other companies subsequently formed revolutionised the conduct of farming in New Zealand and contributed greatly to the prosperity of the Dominion.

The first directors of the com-’ pany were Messrs J. M. Watt, John Cooke (New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd.), D. Morrow, J. Murgatroyd. McG. Watt, P. Cunningham, and S. K. Bassett.

The first venture undertaken by the company was killing stock at Islington, near Christchurch, and freezing on board the Shaw, Savill sailing ship Wellington at Lyttelton. This shipment, which realised very good prices in London, consisted mainly of lambs and was handled by Messrs W. Weddell and Company. In 1893, the New Zealand Refrigerating Company took over the works and business of the

South Canterbury Freezing Company at Timaru, the enlarged two years later and named Smithfield. Another absorption took place in 1899, when the Wairau Freezing Company’s business was taken over, necessitating the building of new works at Picton. In 1905, the company absorbed the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, which had its works at Burnside, Dunedin. In 1916, the company, having acquired meat freezing interests at Wanganui, built the Imlay works, on the Wanganui river, which are one of the finest plants in the Dominion. Borthwick Enterprise No historical reference to the freezing industry in New Zealand would be complete without reference to Messrs Thomas Borthwick and Sons (Australia), Ltd. The firm was founded by Sir Thomas Borthwick in 1863, and entered the frozen meat trade at the time of the first shipments from Australia. The company came to New Zealand in 1902 and bought the Waitara Freezing Works, and three yars later began the Pakipaki works at Hastings. Since then the company’s operations have grown immensely, and today it controls at every point the frozen meat it handles from the livestock markets in Australia and New Zealand to the dead meat markets in Britain. At present Messrs Thomas

Borthwick and Sons (Australia), Ltd., owns five large freezing wo.*ks in New Zealand—Pakipaki (Hastings), Wai;ara (Taranaki), Belfast (Canterbury), Waingawa and Feilding. North Otago Works Although North Otago pastoralists supplied the sheep which inr augurated the frozen meat trade, it was not until 1920 that the district owned its own freezing works. In the beginning, the New Zealand Refrigerating Company established works in Oamaru, but they were abandoned in 1905. The Pukeuri freezing works were built in 1913, and in 1920 were purchased by the Waitaki Farmers’ Freezing Company, Ltd. The works, like others now in existence throughout New Zealand, including the North Canterbury Sheep Farmers’ Co-opera-tive Freezing Company, Ltd., begun in Kaiapoi in 1915, were a result of farmers of the district combining to form a company.