FARMERS' NEW FREEZING WORKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 525, 4 June 1909, Page 8

FARMERS' NEW FREEZING WORKS.

MEETING AT MARTINBOROUGH. ■';'' " ■ INTERESTING DISCUSSION. '. ; , • ' On Tuesday about 35 farmers mteros'ted in, tho proposed Wellington Co-operative Freezing Works met at Martinborough. Mr. F. B. • Perry presided. ''■■•;- ~ Mr.. Cooper, of Pahiatua, in opening.tho proceedings,' said that this was not tho first time tho question had been discussed.. It w ; as. first started in Martinborough somo years ago, and had'gone on intermittently ever.since. What they wanted was a company that would take tho farmers', stock, freeze'and sell it, and, after deducting tho necessary expenses, give the farmers tho whole profit. This was what was done at Gisbo'rne. There they had doubled their busiuess in six years, which proved that.it was paying tho farmers to 'support it. What the Gisborne Company did was to freeze on tho owners' account and find buyers for the carcasses on the hooks at tho works. This was a paying business, and he thought something similar should be gone in for here. Tho provisional directors had recognised that, in starting a company like this, it was necessary to get a number of well-known settlers to allow their, names to appear on the provisional prospectus. This they had been successful in doing,' and bo far had not met with, one refusal. ■ Question of Site. •'": ; . , ■ The.freezing accommodation at the meat •works operating in' the. district at present was inadequate for the supply forthcoming from the district. Consequently the farmers fattened stock and lost on them, having nothing to do with'them when they were fat. In'this matter ho had heard on good authority that there were to bo /improvements in the works in .town. If this wasso,, it was pretty,, certain who .would l •.pay for them.. It betho;nian who produced the sheep. Instead of paying for tho improvements for tho companies, the .farmers had better build works or their own and reap the benefit. The question of the site'was an important oneithat he would-like, to 'say a word or two about.. He thought it was no good-the promoters trying to decide Where the l site ; should'be'.' They, wanted the works badly/but were not experts.' He thought experts should be got to go; carefully into the matter,. and; .the; sit© selected according to their decision. It .was. absolutely vital that tho best site, should be selected.for the 'works, irrespective of .party feelings... ;Mr, thought the question of sites was a.very, difficult one, and was in favour of experts naming the available "sites and the .shareholders deciding the matter. It affected them vitally,-and it was- not likely that, for personal feelings' they would place the works where'.,they."would•not.'bVsuccessful. V The, two companies ,operatihg\in. the;district were not sufficient to take.the fat stock from -.th'« farmers. " Already there:' was. a' capital of £9000 promised in his district,, although they had.only gone to a few farmers. Ho felt, s'uro that there 'would be.plenty of support un the district for a company of the ■ sort Mr, .Cooperhad; outlined. .•■■•• ■•'' Mr.Corrlgan's Views. Mr: ; Corrigan ,said that he; had fourteen years' 'experience in Canterbury; and know; the working- .of the • co-operativq freezing' works.; They were;a decided success.- After being -in ! Canterbury, for fourteen lycnrs - ; he had moved to Nelson'.- There he fouhjj thai" fat stockwas a drug, and there Vas no', dis-' posal for it at all. There were only 300,000 sheep, in the district to-operate-on,': but the farmers built freezing Works, and instead' of getting 9s. to :11s. for their fat lambs they got'. 10s. Gdl, to 12s. .'6d.'' by freezing them themselves. .-■'. Tho plant, land, and railway siding; cost, them £22,000..' : ;La5t year they, put through between 25,000, and 26,000 sheep. r|o thought the capital:could be easily.raised, ; and:tho farmers would: ; never. regret '■■ the.step they. :werp'taking.' . (Applause.).-;;';'.;,,..;'.': ':.; Mr.; Coaper,.;' : 'speaking.; : iri*. the payment, of the ; snares,.; said that at 'present the farmers'were hard up;; : Thoy had ; -plenty of htnd and' <p!onty, of "stock;, but "no cash. Therefore the; provisional '.directors '.thought ,that 10, per. cent, of the share money, should be-called in'on application, s,'per cent, bn 'allotment,''and the remainder in calls of ;,5 per-cont. No two. calls to;be made in any one, month.' ' •"'■',■ )''•.-•"'•-." Thei Rlmutaka Difficulty. ; : - ;.. :A farmer here.'asked. if the works' would be established in; the Wairarapa.,, ( '■"..; ~ Mr,.' Cooper said that that was a matter for expert advice to be taken on. If it were established, in ,tho. Wairarapa,.it would be,, a good . place' at'.Cross Creek or Featherston, but then this would cut off the;other coast. If it were to'serve both coasts it would bo better to situate the .works at. Wellington. Havinte the_ works in, the Wairarapa there was; the Rimutaka to be, taken,'into' 'consideration 1 . If.a thaw set in,after,the'carcasses wero once frozen. the.'meat' Would be ruined. There were good arguments for'both and coastal works. It was':a matter for expert opinion, and the directors.. at present were. very cautious. They wished to ['avoid all possible risks; . '■■■/,[ -\ .;- Mr. .Cooper said.that.the fanners on the j other- coast,'favoured Foxton, but that;'was jout.of the question for this district. 1 :Ho thought'that if the'works were,infWellington they would support it. Someone had said that if tho woi-ks were established in nVel-. lingten they would not get tho supp'ort:from parts of tho ; Wairarapa. \, It was not likely that a man was .going to drop out becauso > the works. were not at his back I door. '■•} ■'■•.- Are Farmers Fairly Treated? : /Mr.';! J.; T. Bicknell, of Featherston,; Bald he 'had frozen 1 on, his. own account, and, thought that,the companies did i not treat the farmers, /airly..;, Thoy.;!.'gqt,;,nothing, for • tho, offal, which the companies .turned into manure and,sold back'-"toZ^ho-farmers.'.■ He. had• received ls.; ; 4d.;;to'lsy'Bd.'ibr, his skins, and 'been allowed;2s ; .pd i '-,-to ss. .for rejects.; It a. lamb had a bruise;or/'a|,blomjsb,on it,':it,.was., rejected, but .tho' ; eampanies,:.cut ;tho carcass up. and supplied;-tho'-Wellington, butchers with.;; it as prime'ineat,,and realised prime prices- for ; it.; -This"'.'.was :not treating farmers fairly.' He;;was.:in favour of haying the works as; close -.to"- the' farmers as possible.. .There was a'great loss; in-sending stock to;, Wellington by rail. ..The .sheep wasted and were bruised, and had not tho bloom on them that they had when killed here. He did. not .think-that there, was any need to go,to the west .coast for support. There was enough sheep between Palliser Bay and Masterton to start .'a good'works. The , place for the ', works, 'should ■ be' in - the : Wai-rarapa,-as,close- to. Wellington as possible. Tlie Premier's Promise. ..' Sir Joseph Ward v had promised to'dpT.his: best ' to', make;.arrangements to ■ the frozen mutton carried over the hill in. the most favourable manner. : He guaranteed to truck the mutton, here in the evening, and got to the ship's side beforo daylight next morning., y ', ",,- - • , ; . Mr. Cooper said that the rejects caused by travelling over the hill; alive were serious, but it would not be.so serious as if a thaw set.in after the frozen mutton was sent from here, and the whole shipment was-con-demned. '.;'•' .''■'■' ■'-.."■•' ! ~' Mr; Falconer, of Kaituna, said tho proposal of having the works, situated at Foxton was out of the question. . Tho local trade in Wellington was important. The companies in ■Wellington were worth, roughly speaking, a million of money, This profit would be much better in tho farmers' pockets. (Applause.)..-..:., ' ; Company; First: Site Afterwards. '.' Tho chairman, Mr. Perry, said it was the wrong timo to arguo. about the' site. They all wanted tho works at their doors, but it was foolish to - start and arguo about, tho site now. What was-wanted was the company .first, and then the question of tho site should bo gone into. Mr. Cooper,said all companies advocated coastal positions, but thought it had bettor bo left alone till tho company, was formed. _ : .'■"■- •/■,• Mr. Bicknell maintained that if the works wore, in, the Wairarapa, places beyond Pahiatua would ship their stock to the works. Ho would not like to take shares in tho company and thon find it would bo at Palmerston North. .-'•.■'. Mr. Cooper: Thoro would bo no chance of that. '

Mr. Bicknoll: That would depend, on the voting of the shareholders. : Mr. Porry said that tho farmers needed to bo in touch with tho Homo • markets, as tho companies aro at present. They supplied meat by contracts. If the prices of meat fell in tho Old Country, their prices wero not immediately affected. Thoy gofc:;tbo same prico till the end of their contract. ,But they, lowered the prico of sheep to the-far-mers.. A Buyer' Ready. Mr. Cooper said that ho had written to a Canterbury firm who said that they would bo glad to , buy all, tho frozen mutton they could produce there.; They would - buy it straight off tho hooks as they did at Gisborne. Ho. thought Wairarapa too small for a successful company. Tho Wellington trade was well worth looking after. n r " M'Kenzio said that ho was in the Banks Company, but was willing to sacrifice all ho liad thoro, and go. in for tho proposed company. Ho' thought tho district' should bo from Palliser Bay to Hawke's Bay. Ho read out tho reports of * sales in Canterbury, and pointed out tho largo difference in prices there and hero. • There. was as much as Bs. difference:. No one would say that thoro was that difference in the mutton in . the two places.! ■ • . Finally, Mr. Robt. M'Leod, Mr. J T Bicknell, Mr. J. Payne, and Mr. Clophano were elected additional provisional directors: Ihe provisional directors of tho proposed freezing works are now-.—Messrs. W. J Cooper (chairman), Pahiatua; D. MacDoriald! Waitahora; W. Brown, Waitaiior.i; J. Wingate, Waitahora; J.' Balsillie, i J almerston North; .J.- A. GroyesJ , Tenui; J. Booth, i'eilding; Owen - M'Uroy, Halcombe: F W Kuinmer, Mauricevillo; J. V, Lomax; Hamua; r " ™ lalooner,; .Kaituna, and those elected for Maryborough.' Shares to the value of irtJU wero. subscribed m tho room.' Fortv "H 1 , n»ke the amount up to .i'l",OuO, when allotment can be made.