WELLINGTON FARMERS' MEAT CO.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 564, 20 July 1909, Page 8

WELLINGTON FARMERS' MEAT CO.

ADDRESS BY MR< J. C. COOPER. ' . SQJIE . ; ;■ A gathering .of farmers at Messrs Gorton an,, and Sime'Vliorse emporiumat Feildjng on Friday was addressed by Mr. J;. C. Cooper, cliair r > man of the provisional directors of the newlyfornjed'. Wcllingtoii • Farmers' .Meat, Freezing. Company.''Mr. Cooper said,that theprinciplo of handling on owners' -account, ori-Avhioh it was' :proposed to start., the company, was. not new,:as it had been in operation during, maiiy years' ill .connection 'with,, the. Canter-" bury and, Gisborno Freezing Companies, and; those liad'been'.'.the most successful everstarted in' New! Zealand.,..They.jjW.ouH 1 either ship Home for-the owner"or ''sell: on.the, books.Tile Canterbury. Company> to the best of hji; knowledge,, never bought ,a; sheep.. .'."Thissystem' w.ould encourage South I,: lsland' buyer?', to come 'and; purchase,:froin'.the hooks;' or in' tho'yards on thp.gradingy as.was dona Canterbury.,.The;;sy ) stem>'.w i ould ; i give.-the; best breeders; the ;best pricesV encourage the ■ breeding of good sheep, and equal the prices here with those obtained in Canterbury. It was proposed ■ that; 'flock-owners; .'take; shares on tho basis of' Is.' for each ' sheep owned, and a period,of two years would bo allowed to complete payments. In regard to sites there were several, under offer, including- the Longb.urii' and Wodidyille.-works. It would depend largely, upon the amount of capital subscribed. If only',one. factory was established, it wbuldheed to be.in the.iri'ost central ..position: '■ It must .be capable" of '.handling '2500. carcasses' per., day.' ,On .-the. other side of-tho, range from -£25,000 to , ' £30,000 worth;'of shares/had beon taken up, and: they hoped to'dispose;of £50,000. )A committee with an .engineer, had ;been ,ap.pointed to report on the sites. . The Minister for Railways had recently stated that it was intended to, shorten hands on tho Rimutaka .Incline, which seemed to indicate. that heavy stock trains from Hawke's Bay to Wellington would bo sent through the Gorge. In pftard to the ability of ;a company with a capital of £100,000 tp;;c*mpote with the existing proprietary-companies,' Mr. ;Cooper instanced the' Gieborne Company, which had started with a, capital of, •£15,800, and a capacity of 55,000 sheep: a: year.; This year ; 340,000 sheep had been put.through; .Only £35,000 capital bad been put in, and in six years £30,000 had been paid; back to tho shareholders in bonuses. The ■ Canterbury Company had, been equally successful: A good site had been offered them near Wellingtonj quite as good as that , of the Gear Company's. The company would not refuso to treat with • ■ but the latter would always .have the' preference and alone would be, paid bonuses. They would pay'advances on stock put thrbugh'by moans of. the banks. ( ':.--.'■ '/■■