A REMARKABLE YEAR

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 277, 27 October 1925, Page 8

A REMARKABLE YEAR

BEST IN HISTORY FOR MEAT PRODUCERS. AVORST FOR FREEZERS AND EXPORTERS. Per Press Association. MASTERTON, Oct. 26. At the annual meeting to-day of the AVairarapa Frozen Meat Company, which was formed two years ago to operate the freezing works formerly owned by the AVcllington Farmers Meat Company (in liquidation), the chairman, Mr AV. D. Hunt, said it was not deemed advisable to pay a dividend this year, but to add the profit of £2157 to that of last year, making a total of £4732.

“The year under review will go down in the history of the meat industry of this country as the best the meat producers have ever had, and one of the worst, if not quite the worst, that frozen meat companies and meat exgorters have experienced,” said Mr Lunt. “From tne stock raisers’ point of view last season was climatically one of the best New Zealand ever had. Prices to growers for fat sheep and lambs wero the highest ever paid. The combination of a splendid season and splendid prices was a remarkable one. AVe have never had such a combination before, and it may be a long time before we have a similar one again. Freezing charges were cut to the lowest point known since pre-war days, and are not far from the rates obtainable then. The rates were too low to be profitable. Those freezing works which merely worked for a freezing charge and did not purchase any stock on their own account were only able to come out on. the right side by most careful management. Their experience, however, was happy when compared with that of buying companies and exporters, who have all lost heavily through faffing markets.”