CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 18 March 1915, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

IMPERIAL MEAT CONTRACTS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln. your issue of March 16th.. there appears a letter under tlie above, heading, but iv reality is only a per*sonal attack on myseii as manager of the Patea Works, and tne letter is a worthy production oi the writer and quite up to his usual standard. - Mr Corrigan to start witn seeks to persuade his readers that I am not a farmer, and says: "What a change has set in since Mr Powdrell retired from farming and set uu as a. freezing works expert." My friend knows bet-" ter, and knows ouite well that I am. larming in a larger way than ever berore, but it suits his purpose to call me a freezing works exoert, and so m\r £ ut lam gainst the farmer. Mr Corrigan seeks to ridicule me by saying I contributed articles through v b jar "On ho*' to farm/ 3 and showed on paper if they adopted my advice. -they could pay £100 per acre. No advice on how to farm was ever given by me, but 1 did state I knew of milk returns from our best land which warranted £100 an acre being given for same, and I believe already on® tarm tas been sold at that figure Mr Corrigan says: "'When Mr Powarea was stumping the country to set farmers to take shares in the Patea> Works (and he might have aMded giving his own time and paying his own f P + eT + Sl ?" told the^ « they S -. ported their own works by taking ut> SS pS? "ould B™ -d «°? I will admit *I predicted more competition, better prices, and a more ready outlet for stock during dry weather, and any farmer with a littleS telSgfnee cannot fail to admit that i•« Sl ¥orks ' whl'ca will this year i kl?i \2}OOS cattle and.40 3 COO sheep, I r 1? all t hat I claimed for it; and. had tnereoeeii nd works, and this stock unkilled during our dry season, a nice loss would have occurred to our district, as all freezing works are blocked at the present time- ; Mr Corrigan seeks to ridicule »ibhe past-working of the Patea Company but does not say we had in past seasons little capital, • out-of-date irorks and machinery, limited capacity, no insulated boats to carry our meat to Wellington, strikes, and latterly a big nre. It would not have suited his purpose tp do so, as he was out to ridicule the management. He says: "Allthe more reason why th* -freezing works should vary their policy, otherwise the burden may become so heavy that we may break down under the strain." I will admit Mr Corrigan last year did h:s best to get, us" to vary our policy. He asked us to allow him to freeze large numbers of stock on his account in our works, he getting the profit -between the farmer and the works, but we preferred our present policy to buy ourselves from the farmer, and any profit; made would be spent in enlarging the works, to the | benefit of farmers, as owing to the small amount of share capital subscribed the only way the works could be extended was out of profits or bydirectors' guarantee. ■ However, it is for the farmers to decide whether the company's. policy to secure these profits for their shareholders was right, or to allow Mr Corrigan, as a speculator, to pocket same; hence I think Mr Corrigan's attack, on W. D. Powdrell and the management of the Patea Works. ' , Mr Corrigan says he has now 250 fat cattle in his paddocks which he. is prepared to sell to the works, but as many of these cattle are bought in the saleyards in front of our buyer, it is not necessary for us to go to his paddocks and pay him a profit on these same cattle our buyer could have pur-, chased in the yards, had he so desired, * for there is no necessity for a man to come between the farmer and the works, and our policy in?this respect will still continue Mr Corrigan admits in his letter that I, when canvassing for shares, stated; that if they supported their own works by talcing more shares, better prices would be accrued, and while Mr Corrigan admits that he had, 250 fat cattle* that he is willing to sell to the works, arid he put nearly the same number through the worts last year (250 cattle will be l-64ths of our total killing for this season), he forgot to tell readers he took £25 worth of shares in the freezing works in spite/of the good advice given, and this on a promise that only £12 10s would be called Tip over an extended term; and had all large holders of: fat stock like Mr Corrigan, contributed in the same liberal way on - the stock put through, the works managed would have had just £800 worth of capital paid un with which to rebuild freezing works, purchase machinery, stock, etc., and as there is now £30,000 worth of meat and stock •in freezing works, Mr CorrigaiL will set* that his Bequest for a change of policy is rather out of proportion to his interests in the Works, and it may not be out of place for Mr Corrigan to allow the_ nine directors guaranteeing the- . £35,000 to have ". a little more say in j the policy of the company than Mr Corrigan, with his £12 10s,*or at least until the liability is removed. ' , Mb Corrigan says "That my assertion as to bull quarters, cow and bull boneless meat being from Jd to %d lower under Imperial contract," than, under extended contracts made by us over theseason, "is all moonshine." If Mr - Corrigan is; prepared to publicly; withdraw his contradiction of my statement if proved to be in the "wrong: himself, then I-will undertake to produce contracts in the Star Office in Mb Corrigan's presence, to prove" my state-i menfcs. Mr Corrigan agrees with me that most farmers' ; concerns are under capitalised, and'says "That it is a disease very prevalent with farmers,' 1 and readers will readily see how badly Mr Corrigan was affected by the complaint mentioned in •regard to' shares taken in Patea «Works." One wouldhave thought Mr Corrigan, with all hisstock, would have set the farmer an example; instead of that he advises us^ to popularise the woriks, proving results :-. when works are not even yet completed, "and winds up by pleading for a square deal for the'farmer, arid I fanoF I see the farmer crying while Mr Corrigan pleads their case, or is it his-^-the-speculator's case? " .. Mr Corrigan has a good deal to say; on the management, but as one-third of the directors and the manager are-" elected annually, he will no doubt hay© < his opportunity to have a test of the shareholders' opinion as to .his merits as against present management. W; D. POWDRELL.