Stock Export Trade

Northern Advocate, 7 May 1914, Page 8

Stock Export Trade

URGENT NEED FOR IMPROVE-

MENT,

FARMERS WITH A GRIEVANCE.

COMBINED ACTION DECIDED UPON.

It is an open secret that the establishment of freezing works at Whangarei Heads has not proved an unalloyed Messina to the North, and the Whangarei district in particular. For some time past settlers in the district have been expressing feelings of dissaisfaction, and the upshot was the holding of a well art ■•>•>.!*.: meeting at the County Ohr.m.. :-. ■. < t to discuss matters apporf..i:ii; , .i; tc the stock industry. There were forty representat-n es of the stock industry present, and !\ir .1. A. Finlayson, president of the Whangarei A and P. Society, was in the chair. Mr FLni_.ysoii brieily outlined Uu objects of the meeting, and stated that the fanners had found it necessary to secure better facilities for getting rid of fat stock. He said that the position during last season was not satisfactory to any of. the farmers in North Auckland, and in declaring the meeting open he invited the fullest discussion. Mr T. F. Hand.yside was appointed to act as secretary. Mr C. Symes said that he believed that he had been 'one of the first to move in the matter. The last season had been an abnormal one for fattening, but the farmers had been- dissatisfied at the. treatment received from the Whangarei Freezing Works. Possibly they could arrange to meet the management of the company so that the settlers would get a fair deal in the future. Personally he had held fat sheep for three months waiting for the works to take them, v and he believed that other settlers in the room had had the same experience. Mr Handysi.de. suggested that the settlers present should confine themselves to discussing the matter on general lines in order to get the opinion of the meeting. He did not think that it was necessary to pass any motion of censure or to make any disparaging remarks. They could appoint a committee with power to act, and then another meeting could be called to receive its report. ' . ■ ~ A settler: Let the committee find out how much fat stock there was this year. Another settler pointed out that the supply of fat stock was increasing at such a rapid rate that the proposal would not be of any great assistance. CAUSE OF DISSATISFACTION. Mr J- McKay said that the cause of dissatisfaction was that settlers had fat stock which they hoped to sell, but'the freezinc works had been buying supplies from outside of the district. The result was that the settlers had felt that they could not depend on the local works to get rid of their stock, and that meant that the producers would have to make some other arrangements in their own interests The local freezing works had been getting stock from Tauranga, Clevedon and Auckland. If that went on the settlers would be compelled to build freezing works of their own, and they knew.that-they had sufficient stock to keep the the proposed works going. Sending stock away to Auckland had not proved satisfactory, and personally he felt that the time had arrived when they should take- action to get over the difficulty which had arisen. Summed up the position was that the stock produced in the Whangarei disctrict was not frozen locally.'

A motion, proposing tha| a committee should be set up to go into the whole matter, was tabled at this stage, but on the suggestion of the chairman it was shelved for the time being in order to get a fuller discussion. Continuing, the chairman mentioned that the Whangarei Freezing Company's representative (Mr Bevins) was present, and he invited him to address the meeting.

Mr Bevins: I don't want to speak just yet. ''

"Everyone seems to have finished," replied the chairman with a glance round the room.

Mr Bevins: Well, I have only heard about four speakers, and what they have said has not afforded me much enlightenment, (Laughter.)

Mr Morrison: Could not the management of the Whangarei Freezing Works be approached in an endeavour to ascertain whether they could freeze all stock in the North? If we could make any arrangements with them—

Nobody appeared eager to apeak to the meeting, but there was a hum of conversation round the room.