FREEZING WORKS PROJECTS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 491, 26 April 1909, Page 8

FREEZING WORKS PROJECTS

A TARANAKI PROPOSAL. WOULD BIG STEAMERS CALL? The unusual abundanco of fat stock this season; jmd tho occasional' block ab the Tarious freezing, works which was bound ■ to iresult,-seems to havo stirred up more than > one scheme for additional freezing plants. Tho schomo wh.iflh has latoly been discussed . with such interest throughout Wairarapa : and : Manawa±u for co-opcrativo works—with i Wellington, I'oxton, iWoodville, and other 1 places suggested as possible sites—is not tho >. only . scheme ,the kind v now mooted. Taranaki'has one. Tho "Taranaki Herald," : in advocating a 'schemo' for 'freezing works at Moturoa; : says:—One farmer who had, 800 - "fat lambs ready to kill found that tho Waitara freezing works wero full, .and had ■; booked stock some distance: ahead, so. that theso lambs: could not bo takon for sovoral weeks, 'arid the owner - estimated that hp would lose-fivo : shillings ,ner. head on them. Another ownorj being unablo to get his lambs, into the Waitara works for some weeks, sent them to the Wanganui works, which also wero

blocked, and lie had to send them on to Wellington. Ho not only lost tho cost of transit, but tho lambs lost condition. / Holding up. tho new Nelson works for encouragement, tho "Herald" says"Nelson has just'got away its first shipment of frozen meat ■: from tho; works - recently established there, The first steps toward tho establish- ; ment of tho works woro taken in September, 1907, so that it has taken about eighteen months to got thom in aotivo operation. Tho statutory , meeting of shareholders was neld in May last year, and tenders for the works worn accepted on August 24, tho opening ; coromony taking placo on March 1, and iho first /shipment of 14,000 carcasses being sent away on April 20, eight months after tho acceptance of the tenders. - The cost of tho. works was about £15,000, and'their capacity nearly 500 sheep per day. Wo scarcely expected that ,accomriiodation for Home liners could bo provided under about threo years, but Nelson's experience encourages us to boliovo that. meat might bo shipped at tho wharf hero within eighteen months from now. When wo state that thoro is now about 16ft. of water at the wharf at Moturoa at low water, with a rise and fall of tide equal to nearly 12ft.,. it will bo realised that such a steamer as the Rakam could oven now lie at'the wharf for several hours at a time, and .when tho board's new dredga has been at work a little while there will bo'water enough to accommodate hor at all states of the,, tide. There aro threo questions to bo considered:— Is . thoro - stock enough to warrant another freezing works? Can accommodation be provided at Moturoa for Home liners in a reason- • able timo? And will the steamers come for , the produce? The "Hawcra Star" states, that 20,000 head of stock from this coast i were put through the Gear Company's Potono ■ works alone last month, and as .'we have al- ; ready said, thero is a largo quantity of stock , waiting its turn at Waitara works. /,That , .is-tho position this year. Next-year tho out- ■ put of the district will be greater, and it ; will.grow/every: year,'; There seems no reason to doubt'that steamers of the Rakaia type , can bo accommodated as soon as meat frecz- : nig works can bo erected. Steamers come to tho Waitara roadstead and tako several days to load a cargo which would bo put on hoard ; in twenty-four hours at a wharf. At Moturoa ; they will bo able to take largo cargoes :of j dairy, produce, wool, tallow, etc." FARMERS' UNION. THE MASTERTON BRANCH. Tlio annual meeting of . tho . Masterton . branch, of the New . Zealand Farmers'- Union was held on Saturday, Mr. W. J. Welch oc- ' cupying tho chair. ■ -. t The balance-sheet showed tho: amount car- ; ried forward from-last year to be £9 3s. 2d. ' —receipts .£26, expenditure. £29 Is.- 2d.— . leaving a credit of £6 2s. • In apologising for the absence .of an an- j nual report,- the chairman expressed disap-. , poiritment 'a't.the lack./of interest taken in the union by the farmers'; Provincial Executive, . which. mot iquarterly./in. different towris, / had,- however, accomplished good work. ;■ In endorsing the remarks of the chairman, Mr;, M'Gregor said that farmers did,: not. . rea,lise the. benefits'of the institution, arid he' instanced/the insurance scheme and tho need .' of watching legislation./' The lack of onthu'sr 1 lasm on the part of farmors was most, dis-: appointing, and tho methods taken to arouse interest'had apparently failed.';.'./ ~•/■/ Messrs. M'Gregor and M'Kenzie reported as -to the results of the conferences-held at Woodville and Palmerston North im-connec-tion with the proposed co-operative freezing works. Mr. M'Gregor said that keen interest •wp's being taken in the schemq, and farmers appeared to be anxious for some definite steps to.' be: 'token in'the matter.' Mr. / M'Kenzie said tho meeting ' at "Woodville liad do- 1 cided. in favour -of tho scheme, and the prospectus was being ■ drawn up, and: would shortly bo, put before the provisional, direc-. tors. ; : ..>Last year.'s. office-ibearers wore, re-elected,; ■ .with the. exception that Mr. E.. W. Payton was replaced by Mr. W. H. Donovan as one of. tho representatives of the Opaki; district. Mr. It. D. M'Kenzie was appointed delegate ■to the provincial conference to ho hold in Eketahuria .on May ; Mr. D. Jl'Gregot';' jun., who already occupies the position of delegate, will also probably attend tho conforcnce. '-- j"-'.- '•* ■ The managers of tho Masterton Tcclmicai / School, wrote asking folr* support in securirig pupils, and, if possible, donations of wool in connection with tho proposed wool classes at , tlio.school. It was resolved that tho branch would do all in its power to assist tho classes. Mr. G. .R. Sykos jintimatcd/that the Masterton Agricultural and Pastoral Asso-' ciation had practically arranged to collect £25 as a donation towards tho equipment of tho proposed classes. The donations would carry a pound for pound subsidy. On tlio , motion: of ; Mr./ Sykes it was decided that a donation, of two guineas -bo voted towards tho wool classes. ■ . , - Tlio following report was rccoivod m : connection with a shipment of cheese sent Homo last January by the Rongokokako Cheeso Com ;pany:—-''Colour,/right; texture, good; flavour, clean; closo, fat, and perfect cheese." This reflects great credit - on the manager, and also on tho suppliers, as it shows that ■thoy are/delivering tlieir';milk' in first-class; -order and condition. : Tho price realised for' the shipment was 645. per cwt. " /' , '-. //-Vi>. ':M ; ——-—r ———