FREEING WORKS

Northern Advocate, 27 May 1921, Page 3

FREEING WORKS

CONFERENCE AT TANGI. TERORIA. INLAND SITE FAVOURED. Yesterday an important confer. e.:ce of representatives of farming ■nteresls throughout the Middle North took place at Tangiteroria tc d:scuss proposals to establish freez ing works to serve the area and tc consider the problem of selection oi the most suitable site for the works The meeting was attended by the fol. lowing delegates:—.Messrs T. Barsett Te Kopuru (chairman) ; A. E .Hard. ing, Aoroa; B. Coleman, Tangowa. hlne, T. Webb, Aratapu; A. G. Rikys ■D-argaville;!H. McKenzie, Taita; A. R €iane, Whangarei; F. McDonald, K'kurangi; J. J. Fraser, Wharjgaivi: I). 11. McKenzie, Waipu; Alex. Ste. p/.pn, Waikiekie; Geo. Cliff, Paparoa; G. S. B. Morrison, Maungatapere; A. C. M-cCardle, Titoki; and B. Harris, «i-cretary. In his opening remarks the Chair. man itated that it was generally recognised that Waipuna was too far distant to send stock to the new freezing works from many parts of lite district, and 'ntcrested farmers in 'the Whangarei county had desired the conference as a rrfeans of discussing the advisability of establishing works in a more hand/ place. The Northern Wairoa settlers wanted them placed centrally to serve the whole of t»ie Middle North. The proposal'put forward' by the Whangarol people urging that the works v.hould- be erected at the port of Kiororoa had received Serious consideration on the Northern Wairoa, but settlers in the latter district had been much I'elieved when they learned that tho Whangarei promoters had [ rescinded the resolution favouring I that- s T .to. It had 'been unanimously decided at a largely attended meeting in Dargavilel that works were needed in the district and a committee had ibeen sot up to confer with the Whangarei delegates and to take a report back to the Northern Wairoa settlei'3. Messrs McDonald and -Crane reported upon the result of their visit as delegates from Whangarei to the Auckland {Farmers' Freezing Company relative to establishment of works in the district, and they also intimated the reason why the motion favouring Kioreroa as site had been thereby leaving the question an.o.pen one. 'The chief difficulty was the selection of a central site which would 'best suit all parts of the district, but both Messrs McDonald and Crane were strong upon the point that such a-' centi'al s ; te would not suit dairymen for cold stores in conjunction with the freezing works, because it was realised that dairy produce must •be transferred direct from cold stores to ships without railing. Mr Crane said he thought the time was right to make a forward step. He pointed out that the Whangarei Hai , - bour Board had been the originators pf .the proposed establishment of works at Kioreroa as a part of its general development scheme, but objections had been raised to that site. ille 'felt that a central place such as Waiotira would meet with the whole-heai-ted support cf the Whangarei district, and he assured delegates from other parts that the rumoured parochial feeling in Dargaville upon the subject of the site had no counterpart in Whangarei. Mr Ambury had clearly directed that cool stores inland would not do, as butter would have to be shipped fortnightly to en. sure success, and the cold storage shou"d be alongside the shipping. In :Mr Crane's opinion monetary means for the establishment of freeing works was not at the moment obtainable, and any attempt to canvass for'capital would meet with vei?y little success. ißoth committees would have to go back and report progress •to their respective districts, pending a further conference. Mr 'McDonald added that the intended extensive development of the 'Hikurangi-coalfields would result in a, vexy great, extension of shipping to Whangarei 'harbour and consequently when Kioreroa became an \' important port it would .be simple to ship J dairy produce rfegularly I from there. (Mr McKenzie, of Taita, said he thought that the conference should formulate a scheme to provide for erection of the freezing works and should leave the question of cold storage alone. In that connection Mr Crane stated his conviction that when the Whangarei harbour development was in fu'll swing .the farmers from the Northern Wairoa and other surrounding districts would all ship their produce from Kioreroa. At that point the Chairman ruled that the meeting should restrict its deliberations to matters concerning •the establishment Of the freezing works, as the Northern Wairoa committee had been given no authority 'to discuss cold storage, which, he agreed personally would' have to. be provided at a port. Before much progres a in selection of a site could be made, Mr McCardle considered that the opinion

cf esparto as to jts suitability would Live to be obtained, bat tke Chair, man submitted that the experts , opinions on technical points such as water supply, must necessarily follow upon a lead given by farmers as to the site most suitable to them. It was not, however, advisable to try to fix upon a site at the meeting, although his own idea was that the Northern Wairoa River should be utilised for barging stock, especially sheep, and consequently he considered that the best site would be some■\h2/c between Omana and Waiotira Thut site wou'd enable the river to be used, even if a short drive were necessary from the barges. Mr Coleman gave his experience of freezing work a in Canterbury and added that the promoters should not look for dividends-from the establishment of the works, but rather as a means of making the farms pay. Works on 'Whangarei harbour would r.ot suit the Northern Wairoa, especially for lambs, and he favoured a site as near the fattening ground j as possible. ■' IMr J. J. Fraser agreed that es.

ta-blishment of the freezing work iii the vicinity of Omana would no make much difference to the northeri I .pr.rt s of the Whangarei district. I was really a question of whether i . was better to kill at Omana and rai to the port or to rail live stock t< the port and kill there. In that connection a letter wa: read from Mr Alex Orr of the Wai. knio, who gave his experience of the relative value to him of Horotiu anc Southdown works. (He had fount that the loss of weight or rejections of mutton quarters by long distance ■ railage' of sheep was no greater thar when the distance trucked was short but cattle suffered more from bruising in long-distance Tailing. His opinion was that work s should be established inland on a railway line placed centrally in the district supplying the stock. The outcome of the deliberations was-a resolution proposed by Mr Crane and seconded by Mr Coleman as follows: — "That the residents of the Middle North take steps to form a co.operative freezing company, the site to be on the railway line at Omana or Kioreroa, or at any place between those points; that the resolution of ithe conference be submitted by the respective committee s to. meetings in the two districts concerned, where it cou'd be considered, and that the result of those deliberations be submitted to a further conference of re. of the combined districts." The resolution was carried .ujiam- ■> tously.