THE FARMERS' FREEZING COMPANY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12410, 4 November 1903, Page 7

THE FARMERS' FREEZING COMPANY.

Tire formation of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing- Company is progressing' very satisfactorily. At blip latest meeting of the provision?! directors is was ascertained that shares to the value of £13,000 had been taken up, and this almost! entirely voluntarily. I fc was decided to* make a vigorous effort, and thoroughly canvas the province, so the directors have" engaged. Mr. J. W. Malcolms©", of AsltDLirton, -a gentleman of wide experience in the frozen meat trade, to address North-era farmers, and explain the methods adopted in the South Wand, and particularly the advantages to be derived from a freezing company which will he olnofly owned and mauagefi by farmers on lines so successfully adopted in Canterbury. The money subscribed to the new company up ,to the present is nearly all subscribed by farmers, and the Waiki&p farmers, almost without exception, have bound themselves to support, it. Tito provisional directors have received numerous inquiries from all parts of the Auckland province regarding the company, and thsre have been many requests that some person conversant with the subject should be sent round to give information. Tne . result of these requests is the appointment ot Mr. Maleohnson. The farmers of the province, and particularly those interested in forming the new freezing company, expect to receive considerable assistance from the townspeople, and those business men who know how closely their interests are wrapped up in the great agricultural industries, and how much a "successful frozen meat trade will mean to the progress of Auckland city, are bound to respond to' this appeal for assistance. The prospects of the Auesci-md Fanners' Freezing Company seem very bright. It is starting at a time when the improvements in refrigerating machinery and cold storage have reached a stage of erfoction never before known. It has the advantage of being able to utilise the experience gained by other New Zealand companies at great c_*t, and it will be able- to ship its products in steamers specially. fitted for the purpose to miu-kefs already capable of absorbing all and more meat than it can send. .Auckland has not yet taken up its proper position as an exporter of frozen meat. It has more cattle than any other part of New Zealand, ■and its beef already holds a position in fcne , London market equal to that held by Canterbury mutton.' If Auckland can win such a high reputation for the quality of its beef there is no reason why in time, when special breeding and feeding is resorted to, it should not win just as high a reputation I ' for its mutton and lamb, and there is cw-tainiy every ■■ reason ■' to hope that the Auckland frozen.meat trade will in a few years assume flijimn.gons not dreamt of now. 'band in; Auckland during the last few years has been taken up and settled at file rats of tens of thousands of acres annually. This process has absorbed a ]&vg& amount of stock, but it will result' in the*', production di_" available freezing animals soon in quantities never equalled before. Land is being taken up now,, and will continue to be taken up for many years to come, and it is not much to expect that in a few years to come the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company may require the largest freezing works in New Zealand to deal with the surplus stock raised in l]ii;< province" One prominent farmer connected with tko new company has subscribed money equal to 10s per head for all his cattle and Is per head on all his sheep, and lie declares that if the rest of Auckland fanners would subscribe even half this amount per head of stock the success of tho new company would be assured.