TO THE SHEEP-FARMERS OF HAWKE'S BAY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4944, 21 June 1887, Page 4

TO THE SHEEP-FARMERS OF HAWKE'S BAY.

G1 ENTLEMEN,— It is now nearly A year T since your combined effort was mado to settle definitely a fixed rate of moat freight, when you appointed Mr Dobson to carry out your wishes. Tho result of your action has boon the formation of the " Colonial Union Company," with which Company we arc glad to be able to inform you we havemadcarrangements that have enabled us to take up the contract which you authorised Mr Dobson to make on your behalf. The most interesting provision in the contract is that which provides that for the next three years we have to tako delivery of your sheep, " kill, freeze, bag, ship, insure, pay freight, store, sell, and render account sales'' at the rate of 2f d per lb, instead of 3jd, which was the best we could undertake for you this timo last year. This will show a reduction of from 2s to 2s Gd per head. The minor details of the contract will be put before you shortly. We think it only fair to ourselves to point out that the whole expense of Mr Dobson's mission to England has been borne by us, and although wo naturally hope to benefit by the reduced rate, we think we are entitled to the support of every theepowner in tho Province, whether hip name is on the guarantee or not, as had it not been for our action taken at the request of a number of guarantors the rate would certainly not now have been reduced, and should the Shipping Company, whose business we havo undertaken, not be supported to the fullest extent, we may look forward at the expiry of our contract to a return of the old rates : if not worse. In answer to numerous questions recently asked us we beg to make the following statements:— 1. "We are prepared to deal (wnEN Offeeed) with every available sheep in tho Province, whether on the guarantee or not, provided they are booked sufficiently early to allow freight arrangements to be concluded. To help you in forming an opinion as to the accuracy of our statement, we may tell you that our works are now of such proportions as to enable us to freeze comfortably thirty thousand (30,000) sheep per month, and if pressed, and. shipping space be procurable, we can freeze thirty-six thousand (36,000) per month. These figures show that should it become necessary we can freeze all available sheep in tho Province during tho space of five months, but as experience has taught us that sheep aro offering from October to Juno, we have eight months instead of five to get through our work, and it is improbable that any one month's requirements would exceed 36,000. Before leaving this question wo may add that tho past season has been held up to us as a proof that we can not do all tho work required of us. Our answer to that is, that in tho past season wo have taken every sheep booked on the day fixed by tho owner, and in many cases earlier, but where sheep were not booked the deficiency of freight space became a difficulty. This difficulty has now been removed by your own action in introducing the " Colonial Union." Wo would also point out that tho exceptional difficulties of the past season were reduced to a minimum by our providing additional machinery and storage accommodation, and that wo did so with a full knowlcdgo that owing to the non-existence of freight wo should have to keep 28,000 sheep stored for a considerable period. 2. " We are not proposing to use sheep owned by non-guarantors (as it has been put to us) as ' stop-gaps,' but wo arc at the present moment prepared to absolutely guarantee to tako any sheep owned by either guarantors or non-guarantors in any numbers or at any dates that may bo desired, and on the same terms, with the one condition that all bookings for the coining season shall be made by the loth July next, a provision found necessary by all companies throughout New Zealand to prevent risk of failure in procuring freight and to enable shipping companies to allocate their space. We would call your special attention to this matter, as this has really been the source of much dissatisfaction in the past, so many of our friends leaving all arrangements for disposing of their stock to chance. If sufficient bookings are received-by us tho "Colonial Union" will fit up the "Cambodia" and " Energia "—the first l two steamers to be put upon this berth—to carry 30,000 carcases each. ■ We hope that you will put us in a position to have this carried into effect, as by making the new line strong, we shall prevent tho repetition of the "oppressive action " against which you were forced to combine to obtain relief.—Yours truly, NELSON BROS., LIMITED.