THE WEST COAST STOCK TRADE.

Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 19, 24 January 1887, Page 2

THE WEST COAST STOCK TRADE.

The completion of railway communication between Wellington and Taranaki is nerving the Auokland people to desperate efforts to attract and retain the trade of the Taranaki and West Coast districts. Hitherto they have enjoyed almost a monopoly of this trade, and they evidently realise the fact that they are in danger of losing it now altogether. If Wellington is alivo to its own interests, and tho railways are properly managed, the West Coast trade must gravitate to Port Nicholson, but if our men of business aro supine and tho railway authorities negligent or obstruo tivo, then, no doubt, Auokland activity and enterprise will, for a timo at loast, provo triumphant. Whon the capabilities of tho frozen meat trade woro first disclosed, Wellington and tho Southern provinces gladly hailed in it a means of disposing of their surplus stock, and erected frooziug works. Auckland, not to be outdono, although it had no surplus btook to diaposo of, must also neods have freezing works, and they were erocted on a magnificent scalo and at enormous exponso. Thou came the unpleasant discovery that stook to froczo would have to bo imported from Hawko's Bay and Taranaki. The balance-sheet of tho Auokland Freezing Company was a terribly unfavourable one. Hawkos* Bay has freezing works of its own, and the direct steamers go there to load, bo, of courso, Auckland was soon cut off from supplies in that direction. Taranaki still remained. It could not export frozen meat direct, and the Auokland freezing company looked to it for supplies. The completion of the railway to Wellington bid fair to open a fresh outlet for the district, which would offer superior advantages. Accordingly we find that tho Auckland Moat Storage and Export Company aent its manager down the other day to meet the West Coast farmers and endeavour to induce them to guarantee to send their stock to Auckland instead of to Wellington. A scheme for having the Hauroto fitted up with refrigerating chambers, and sending 100 tonß of meat per month to Sydney, to go Home by tie Orient

steam erß, was suggested, but the expense and difficulties wore found to be too great. Then it was suggested that the meat should bo frozen at Waitara and sent by nea to Wellington to ship, but the Auckland emissary would not listen to this. He said, we learn from tho Hawcra Star, that " tbe Shaw, Savill Company would not bo prepared, he learned from Captain Babot, to give a clean receipt for frozen meat sent from Waitara to Wellington unless tho meat were carried in a refrigerating chamber. There was no doubt that tho meat would carry all right, but there would be times when there might be objection to it, and it might, perhaps, soften a little, and thon they would not give a clean receipt for it. That in itself would be a sufficient objection to condemn the proposal, because to fit up a refrigerator would mean considerable expense and it would be difficult to get the right class of boat." Having thuß sot aside this project, thogentlomanin question, Mr. Banks, said he " was prepared, in order to meet the Bottlers, to make the price low for taking the stock alive to Auckland, killing and freezing there, and Bonding to England thence." One of the settlor* thought the three handlings of stock thus involved presented an insuperable difficulty, and the following colloquy took place :— " Mr. Banks — There is no more risk in taking stock to Auckland than there is in taking 1 them from here to Wellington. Mr. Lysaght — Much moro expense. Mr Banks —1 will make the expense exactly the same. That gets over that at once." In a series of questions and answers which ensued, it appeared that Mr. Banks was willing, provided the settlors would guarantee 40,000 sheep a year, delivered in twelve monthly instalments at Waitara, to take delivery of the sheep from the railwaytrucks at Waitara ; to graze them there if necessary; to take them to Auckland, paying all charges ; graze thorn in Auckland till they aro ready to be killed ; kill them, freeze them, bag them (cost price of bags to bo paid for by owners — about 4£d per sheep), and put thorn on board English steamer, for Jd per lb. The skins would belong to the owner of the sheep ; all tho rest of tho offal to the company. Rejected sheep would be sold in the Auckland market, and would be certain to never bring less than Hd per lb. Sheep on the voyage from Waitara to Auckland would bo at owners' risk. Tho froight from Auckland to London would not be moro than lid per lb, and if freight were reduced, the ownors of the sheep would got the benefit of.it. The charges at Homo for landing, storage (six weeks, Mr. Lysaght said) would bo all covered by a consolidated charge of id por lb. The first delivery of sheep would have to be mado in May next. A resolution guaranteeing tho required number of sheep was thon passed, and a committee formed to carry out the arrangement. Now, we have no hesitation in saying that it_ will bo a disgrace to Wellinofton enterprise and railway management, if Auokland is thus allowed to monopolise the Wobt Coast frozen meat trade. With diroct railway communication it ought to be possiblo to bring the Hawora stook to Wellington more cheaply than to take them by rail to Waitara, ship them thence to Onohunga by steamer, and either drive or take them by rail to Auckland. The stock would bo far less knocked abont coming here, and would arrive in much better condition, whilo tho freezing and shipping chargos here ought to be, if they aro not, less than in Auckland.