A GREAT MEAT COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3610, 22 May 1923, Page 10

A GREAT MEAT COMPANY.

MR L. F. SWIFT’ INTERVIEWED. ADVICE TO NEW ZEALAND CATTLE-RAISERS. (Fboji Oub Own Cobkesbondent.) WELLINGTON, May 15On a hurried visit to New Zealand just now is Mr L. F. Swift, of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. I found Mr Swift in his bedroom in the principal Wellington hotel. He was in the process of packing his own trunks, and had one of them still open awaiting his laundry. Mr Swift is the head of the world-lamous meat packing firm. He is a man with 'a massive frame, and apparently takes a very large size in hats, just about as large, if not larger, than doe 3 the Prime Minister of New Zealand. He has a charming manner and a clear eye, which is capable of a merry twinkle if the occasion for it arises. Possibly it could flash fire as well if the necessity arose. Mr Swift will board the ferry boat for Lyttelton this evening, and be in Christchurch to-morrow. He will return here on the following day, and leave by the Sydney steamer on Friday to catch the Naldera, sailing from Australia to London. To an invitation to a game of golf at Heretaunga on his return from Christchurch he said ho would be delighted if by any chance he missed his boat. Mr L. F. Swift, heads the list of directors, and is president of the company, and among the directors and officers are no fewer than five other Swifts. One of them is the son, and the others brothers of the president. It seems a case in which the race is undoubtedly to the Swift. In regard to his appearance in these parts one did not expect to get a great deal out of such a shrewd business man as the president of Swift and Company must be, but he gave quite a clever answer to a question ventured as to the object of his visit to New Zealand. He said he had come to New Zealand because he had never been here before. Mr Swift, however, willingly supplied some interesting information about the operations of his company for the last year. There are in the company no fewer than 45.000 shareholders, and of these 16,000 are employees. The employees now own twenty-one million dollars worth of company stock, and they are encouraged to buy shares on the instalment plan. It is interesting to note that there are 17.000 women shareholders in the company. The earnings for the year were just over thirteen million dollars, the sales amounting to six hundred and fifty million dollars, the earnings being equivalent to about two cents, on each dollar of sales. Three hundred and seventeen million dollars were paid for live animals in cash from day to day as the animals were bought. Mr Swift says that the company’s relations with its employees are harmonious. In regard to Government supervision, lie states that the administration of the law has recently been constructive. No difficulties have arisen, and he expresses a hope that the present sound policy of administration will continue indefinitely.

Popular opinion in regard to the packing? industry in America seems to have undergone a considerable change, and Mr Swift believes that tiie educational advertising done by the company and the attempts made to counteract unfair statements have developed a substantial goodwill, both for the company and for the products that it sells. In regard to conditions generally in the United States, Mr Swift says that they are slowly getting back to normal after two years of somewhat severe depression. The cost of living is slowly coming down, but as wages arc*still about 30 per cent, above pre-war level the cost of living is still high. Iu regard to a trade in meat between New Zealand and America, Mr Swift expressed the opinion that owing to the duty of three cents a lb on imported meat no great development in that direction was to be expected, and that Great Britain was the natural outlet for New Zealand meat, lie had gone through several of the freezing companies’ works in the North Island, and had found them fairly up-to-date. One thing he noticed, however, was that the beef was a good deal bruised. This pointed to the fact that the cattle had suffered in transit, and to the necessity for early dehorning, of which he was a strong advocate. In the States practically all the cattle are dehorned. To such an extent was the practice carried out that in one day's killing at the great works of this firm there would he scarcely enough horns to fill a barrel. New Zealand stock breeders, he added, would _ be making the biggest mistake in the world if they did not go in for dehorning. In addition to preventing injury, especially in transit, it improved the cattle by making them more docile. Another point he emphasised was that cattle should be fattened as quickly as posabile, at from two to two and a-half years old. If New Zealand farmers did that they would get far better results than if they left their cattle till they were three and a-half or four years old before fattening them for killing. A final question put to Mr Swift was about the working of the liquor prohibition in the States. Mr Swift thought for about two seconds. The merry twinkle came into his eyes, a smile lit up his big clean-shaven face, and with a polite noncommittal answer he managed to evade the burning question of the day in his native country. Mr Swift, however, did not ask me to have a drink at his expense, but ho gave me at parting a cigar which he said I would find to be a good one —and it was.