Good year foreseen

Press, 18 December 1976, Page 18

Good year foreseen

■ Canterbury Frozen Meat 1 Company, Ltd, expects a : better than average year, in 1 spite of a bad start to the ■ killing season, the chairman (Mr H. H. Elworthy) told The annual meeting yesteri day. I “The lambing in North; J Canterbury was very high : 'indeed, and this indicates! that killing will be high. ! even if the season has to continue longer than usual,” ■ he said. 1 “It is most unlikely that ; cattle killings will reach last' ’■ year’s level and, even if the works operate at full capacity from now on, the kill for the season will be down by ! about 10 per cent. 1! “Although there is little ,i likelihood of repeating last ’i year’s record profit, indications are for a better than [i average year. L “The cost of industrial ac-j ? ;tion like the recent indus=! Utrial dispute in the freezing;

industry to New Zealand is . far greater than the country can afford. “Not only did the season start slowly because lambs . were not ready, but all works had been killing for i only two weeks when an . industrial dispute brought ; them to a halt. / “The freezing workers’' union, insisting on a travel i i allowance of $1.50 a day for! ' its members, imposed an export load-out ban and! other restrictions when the: 'companies refused to pay! ; such an allowance. “Killings cannot be main- 1 ■ tained for long when a load-! out ban prevents the cool! stores being cleared to waiting ships. “Therefore, the employers ! had little option but to dis- [ miss employees on November 19. Work recommenced on November 29,” reported !|Mr Elworthy. !j “The cost of such indus- ’■ trial action is far greater , than New Zealand can afford, not only did a large number of lambs not reach Britain for the pre-Christmas trade, but ships left New Zealand ports without cargo. “Flow-on effects on New Zealand’s economy are most serious,” said Mr Elworthy. “For these reasons, killings are lower than at the same time last year.” Total lamb and sheep killings to December 4, at 461,358, were 23.2 per cent lower than at the same time! last year, and the cattle kill! was less than half of last! 'year’s figure.