FREEZING INDUSTRY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 267, 9 October 1940, Page 10

FREEZING INDUSTRY

IN THE MANAWATU. ITS EARLY HISTORY. Tho early history of tho freezing industry around Palmerston North was given by Mr R. S. Abraham at a function tendered last week by the National Mortgage and Agency Coy., Ltd. It is iirty years since tho indusi try was commenced at Longburn and Mr Abraham dealt with the trials which were met with in the early years alter the establishment of the first works. He is the sole surviving member of the first board of directors.

Outlining particulars of events which led up to the formation of the works in 18'jO and the reasons for the failure of the first venture as against the manifest success of the concern under the National Mortgage arid Agency Company, Mr Abraham 6aid that not very Jong after it had been proved that freezing meat was a possible and definite success in New Zealand, liis firm was asked by its London merchants if it could undertake to supply eheejt of good quality to a large and powerful firm of butchers in London. In those days the only freezing works in tlio North Island were at Wellington and at Tomoana, and those companies naturally held a controlling position. Their practice was to fix a price at 'the beginning of the season, based, of course, on tneir information of English requirements. Their purchases were based on ail-round prices common to the three companies and which were given lor aJI sheep bought as fats, whether good or bad, distinguishing, of course, between wethers, ewes and lambs. To obtain their requirements the new company had to break into this “ring,” continued Mr Abraham, and it was decided that higher quality sheep were entitled to a higher price than inferior ones. Then came the question as to where the works were to be located and Jj’oxt'on was decided on, the carcases to be towed out in barges to overseas vessels which, the promoters imagined, could lio at anchor under the lee of IKapiti Island. With the meat supply, ilax, grain, etc., it was shown that ample produce could be ottered as an inducement to the overseas boats. Soundings were takeli of the river, opinions of the various captains of boats trading to Fox ton obtained and iouiid iavourablo, and arrangements made for tho London butchery firm to provide a considerable portion of tho money required provided their representative approved of the project on his arrival in New Zealand. When ho arrived, however, ho made his first visit to the shipping companies who bluntly told him that they had no intention of incrcasmg tho number of their loading ports; that the railway to Wellington had been completed, and meat would have to bo loaded in Wellington. However, not discouraged, the committee obtained the help of the National Mortgage and Agency Company to erect small works at Longburn instead of Eoxton. The board of directors consisted ot Messrs C. Bull (chairman), J. 0. Batchelar, J. Beale, 1). Buick, 1L Hammond, J. Howard, It. b. Abraham, A. Macpherson (secretary), G J. Scott (auditor) and J. H. Hankins (solicitor). Practically all of these men consisted of the pick of the iarming community at that time and Mr Abraham added that he. a few months short of the age of 90 years, was the only one now alive. . _ , . Thev started operations in October, 1890, and lasted till 1894. Ihe killing sheets showed 21,850 sheep jijM lambs frozen on owners’ account, 1/,600 purchased straight out, and 4 7,724 boiled down (over one-third ot the sheep dealt with). Unfortunately the company met with, bad times during those first four years. The London trade was consistently bad, the local demand lor store sheep keen owing to the growing increase of pasturage, and competition from Wellington so keen that Longburn had difficulty m securing sufficient sheep to keep the works going. The Year Book showed that in the North Island in 4886 there j were 5,285,907 sheep and in the South Island 9,388,356, making a total of 14,674,263. In the North Island tho latest figures aro 47,509,222 sheep and in the South Island 14,387.869, making a total of 31,897.091. Of this increase by far and away the greater proportion were breeding ewes. Recounting the works’ financial difficulties in those times, Mr Abraham said tho majority of the hoard were in favour of going back to their farmer friends to obtain more capital, hut personally he did not think this was justified in face of the outlook and consequently resigned. A half-hearted attempt to secure more capital from tho farming community failed, so it was decided to sell tho works. Only one buyer appeared, the National Mortgage- and Agency Company, to whom they owed £15,438. Mr Abraham stated that tho shareholders were not, pleased by the loss they suffered. If the scheme was an apparent failure, ho remarked, he would like to be in a good many failures of the same kind. As an instance of tho changes which had taken place, Mr Abraham said that when the freezing works commenced operations at Longburn the top price ior wethers was Bs, 8s for lambs, 4s j to 5s for ewes .and this season the top butchers’ prices had been 30s for lambs, 40s for wethers, and 30s to 35s for owes. The sheep of the district were then manifestly inferior, continued tho speaker, but what was the position today? Bight through the Manawatu, ltangitikei, and Oroua areas, there were numbers of stud stock breeders whoso sheep went to all parts of the world. Recently, when his firm’s stud stock manager had gone to England with instructions to buy stud Romney rams he had been obliged to come back to New Zealand with empty hands because, among all the flocks ho had visited, he could not find sheep equal to the New Zealand types, The quality in connection with our meat trade was one point which must ever he paramount in the minds of tho primary producer, continued Mr Abraham. In nine cases out of ten the reason why differing prices were secured by adjoining farmers at the same freezing works lay in the quality of the lambs produced. The watchword of the New Zealand primary producer to-day should be increased production, not only in regard to the quantity but more particularly in regard to the quality of the produce exported. In view of the grave risk that New Zealand would have to face a quota when the war was over, and that this quota would require to be fought out with Australia (whose production was rapidly increasing) it would surely follow that the .higher our export figures were in quantity and quality the better would we be able to secure a reasonable allocation on a quota basis. Endowed with mild and equable weather conditions, New Zealand was the premier primary producing country in the world. A total of 93 per cent of our national income was procured from grass paddocks, in frozen meat, wool, butter, and. cheese. Everything in this country .had, in the end, to adjust itself to the level of our export values. In other words, the farmers’ purchasing power was the basis of fall trade and industry in the

country. The Longburn freezing works had justified their existence to the full, concluded Mr Abraham. Their establishment had increased the value of the produce from the surrounding districts and once again had shown the community that the old identities had. had vision, courage, and an unbounded faith in the future of the l>ominidn.