FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16870, 27 October 1925, Page 8

FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY.

REVIEW OF LAST SESSION. (Per Press Association..' MASTERTON, List night. At the annual meeting to-day of the Wairaropa Frozen Meat Co., wliiuh was formed (wo years a,go to operate the freezing works formerly owned by the Wellington Farmers’ Meat Co. (in liquidation), the chairman (Mr. W. J). Hunt), said it was not deemed advisable to pay a dividend this year, but to add the profit of £2157 to 'that of last year, making a total of £4732. ‘The year under review,” he said, '“will go down in the history of the meat industry of the country as the best the meat producers have ever had, and one of the worst, if not quite the worst-, that the frozen meat companies and, meat exporters have experienced. From a stockraiser’s point of view,” he added, ‘‘last season was climatically one of the best New Zealand ever had.' The prices paid to growers for fat sheep and lambs were the highest- ever paid. The splendid price was a remarkable one. We have neve*' bad such a combination before, and it may be a- long time before we have a similar one again. “Freezing charges,” lie added) “were cut down to the lowest point since prewar days, and are not far from the rates obtainable then. The rates were too low to be profitable to those freezing works that merely worked for the freezing charge and did mil purchase any stock mi their own account,- and were only able to come out on the rigid side by most careful management. Their experience, however, was happy, when compared with that of the buying companies and exporters, who had all lost heavily through falling markets.