BLOW To FARMERS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11448, 24 February 1931, Page 2

BLOW To FARMERS

HAWKE’S kBAY -FREEZING : iWorkß-tn ruin., -.. ." •' SAL YAGE OF. MEAT.. / - ... 7 "Au. •' .indication of what,, tlie total -damage’ ih The • earthquake, urea is dikely To be is .(saysAhe f-T’dlcgraph’’); given by the fact that tlie. estimate •of 'tho loss' to tlie 'four 'freezing works ,-jn Hawke’s-Bay-.-is--sot down-at aboii-t----’£1,000,000, althcugh no specific figure can/be .cited as yeti ' ?T.t- .'is jestijnated4 by one Aihaii in - authority at 'Borthwick’s works at Paki Paki that ihq -company’s loss would amount- to about £250,000'. The entifio works! are in , ruins,- and will liavo to he rebuilt.

[ The extensive damage to the , var- ’ ious freezing works presents a serious problem at tlie momeut, for no, freezing ' can lie' dope; in tlie district for a long.time and it. appears that,, for the ;rest<of the season, at ..feast 1 , ‘ fariners will have to- rail stock-, out, of .the. district for slaughtering,.. The railway line to PortAlmriri has been liadlv . damaged and tlie outlet there has been, closed, for some time, And there is. : not even' road access to. the plate, where the lighters used to: load. 'Much extra cost is bound to be involved in additional rail and shipping charges out of certain parts :6f Hawke’s Bay, i and it is stated to be doubtfpl . whether., it .yyi.ll pay .to send certain classes of stock out at alb > There has been a- .drought throughout Hawke’s Bay for some week's, and dry weather has been experienced for some .months. As-, a; result of,tlie dry weather' the amount qf fat, stock slaughtered has not been as great ns* in./former years, and there will not he .the demand for kjlJmsf -facilities us wks tjio easo ,previously. Although this is !a/fecting the district' seriously ft will cbiisjderably relievo what 1 would otherwise' huvCi been a iieaYy' dbniand on'-'the; freezing eouipaiiies, and as ihesa willbe out of eommission for a consider- 1 able time tlie position'’in this respect has been lightened to a certain extent. In view of the fact that stock for'-killing /will /have to be sent to other centres', the question is being asked whether the Railway Deiiartment will assist farmers in respect of .freights. • SALVAGE OF CARCASES.

Although, the-three freezing works .situated within • a few -miles- radius iof, Hastings, have been damaged badly, tlie< salvage: of-a large proportion of carcases in the chambers was possible and the Railway Department has done .goed-. work-in'the, removal of.,thousands .since, tlie earthquake, On ' tlio other liand, some thousands ,!thdt Were . on # the. boards had to be destroyed.

; The work of. clearing debris has started at ■ all tlie works,.'hut. the the amount of 1 complete rebuilding that will bo required will not- he known 'definitely until . surveys have been made. It is stated that the works at, Paki: Paki/are a complete loss, and that they- will have-,to be rebuilt entirely. -Other works are in a very bad way, and the .slaughtering 'for the'district lias been, thrown completely, out, of. gear. •• • - The work of taking away carcases from the works oL Thomas Borthwielc quid Solis • (Australasiab /Ltd,, at Paki -. Raki .began shortly after the yarthqUako'. The buildings were re,du’eed to" an 'aliiiofet’ 16th 1 wreck, and : the lives of four nieifbut of a staff iof about JBO men/were lost in "tho disaster: It was possible to remove about, 60.000 carcases' safely. but about 1000 that. were on the boards bad to be burned. The clearing of th© wreckage lias, already, .started as a preliminary to reconstruction.

WHAKATU WORKS. About 100,000 carcases were in thefreezing, chambers at the works of Die Hawke's Bay Farmers’ bleat Co., Ltd.,' at' AYhakatu. /Tile voffigerat.ing niaehin'erj' was not . tin-own cdtiipletoly .out of c-oimiiission, and it has • been .. to. maintain aneven temperature in (lie chambers. There were about 9-CO men .at . the :works at tlie tiine of life shake., and although several had reniafkahle escapes none was- hurt. The works themselves were badly affected. The felbhongery is aliiiost comi>letely ruined, and cue of tlie freezing chambers/ was exposed at one end. necessitating tho removal of carcases from that point. Generally, tlie plant is' in 'fairly good order. The boilers•' are damaged slightly, although: a' part of tlie. plant is run electrically, ajid a section was work-’ ihg. There.were, about 2000. carcases on tho hoard/ when the shake occurred, itnd these had to be burned. At these works also it is not vet known exactly what amount' of rebuilding will have to he done. or what can be repaired. -A/survey will be made as soon as possible. The chambers .-at Toinoana are still at freezing temperature, although, liat'fifallv; no killing'ib being done. Here also extensive damage has been dene, and the works are in no fit state for a continuance of operations. In two days about 30,000 carcases wefo takeiv awdy ■ by. fail;- Tlie machinery’ris'' practically intact, although the' buildings are unsafe and will require - a survey throughout. There were 2SO men einployed at these works' oil the morning of tlio shake and ah. got out. without injury, except one bey, who Mas badly burned. - .. .. .. -... .