LONGBURN FREEZING COMPANY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1189, 14 December 1894, Page 32

LONGBURN FREEZING COMPANY.

The fifth annual report to be presented at the meeting of the shareholders of the Longburn Slaughtering and Freezing Company on the 15th inst. is as follows: — In presenting the accounts and balancesheet for the year ended 30th September, your directors regret that these show an apparent loss on the operations for the season of £584 Os Bd. During the 26 weeks the works, were in operation 57,174 sheep and lambs were put through, of which number 21,850 were frozen on behalf of clients, 17,600 were purchased from growers and frozen, and-17,724 sheep were boiled down, from which 23,123 legs, and shoulders were frozen and 7757 were sold locally on account of groweis. Your directors are now making arrangements by which they hope to purchase mutton and lamb at remunerative prices to growers. To those desiring to freeze on their own account, advances will be made on meat shipped through the Company’s agents. In accordancqj’With the articles of association, two directors, Messrs J. O. Batchelar and William Coombs, retire; the former offers himself for re-election. The auditor, Mr G. J. Scott, also retires, but offers himself for re-election. . Operations this year began on 29th January, and the last of the meat was shipped on 19th July. Through scarcity of bottoms throughout the season to carry meat away as it was frozen, great delay was caused and expense incurred in having to keep the meat stored until space was available, which made the season extend into 22 weeks, whereas the amount of freezing could have been well done in 13 weeks. The unprecedented low prices met in London for wool, tallow, pelts, tongues, kidneys, &c., products which the Company shipped on their own account this season, contributes the largest share of the loss, pelts having declined 7s per dozen and tallow £7 10s per ton in value from previous years’ prices.