Fat Lamb Killings At Horotiu A Record

Northern Advocate, 13 January 1948, Page 4

Fat Lamb Killings At Horotiu A Record

AUCKLAND, Tue. (Sp.).—About 10,000 fat lambs from farms as far distant as the Bay of Plenty and the King Country are arriving each day at the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company’s riorotiu works, near Hamilton. Dozens of lorry drivers and 700 men are working overtime to cope with the rush and new records in killing for export to Britain are being made.

Last week 56,000 lambs were killed in five and a half working days, beating the previous weekly record, made last year, by 9000. The largest day’s killing was 10,462 a week ago, about equivalent to last year's record. Lambs arrive at the works by lorry and train until about 11 p.m. each night. One truck driver recently worked three days without takingtime off-to sleep. NO ABSENTEES During the tw Q and a half working days between the Christmas and New Year holidays not one worker wre absent. Included among the workers are between 30 and 40 students, most of them from universities, who are able to earn up to £l2 a week. The only districts where there was any sign of anxiety among farmers to get their lambs in more quickly than usual were the Te Kuiti and Otorohanga areas. Otherwise the long dry spell has not had any great effect on the seasonal rush of lambs. An increase in the number of butchers at the works largely accounts for the greater killings this year. About two years ago the killings averaged about 8000 a day. This season the average has been about 10,000 a day since the new year begad. EXPERT HANDLING Although lambs are arriving at the works in normal condition weights are not. as high as they were last year,

which was an exceptional one because of the comparatively low lambing average. This season the lambing percentage was very high and weights are accordingly lower. In spite of the rate at which they are going into the works, the lambs are expertly handled on the way and the number graded unfit for export has been negligible. The lambs that pass through the pens at Horotiu represent a value of about £17,500 a day, as well as meat for Britain’s meagre ration.

The heavy killings will continue until nearly the end of January, and then the sheep and cattle killing will begin on a large scale.