COAST FREEZING SEASON

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18036, 13 March 1933, Page 4

COAST FREEZING SEASON

MORE CATTLE AVAILABLE GREATER WEIGHT OF MEAT The Tokoniam Bay freezing works are experiencing a satisfactory season. Fewer sheep and lambs have been handled, but there lias been a big increase in cattle, compared with last season, which was the best since the esta olislimant was taken over by the Gisborne Frozen Meat and Mercantile Company, Limited, in 1921. The killnigs m sjieep equivalent for the season lo date fall short of those for the corresponding! period of 1931-32, but the_ total weight of meat handled is slightly ahead. In figures made available to-day by Mr. A. F. Salmon, general manager of the company, it i.s shown that the biggest decline is in sheep, of which 30,C00 fewer have been killed to date, while there were 5000 less lambs. Cattle, however, came forward much earlier this season than last, and, whereas there was only a negligible number up to this time last year, over 16C0 have been dealt with to date. Reducing the numbers to a sheep equivalent, this season’s total is 7928 carcases (sheep equivalent) behind, although in weight the meat handled is slightly ahead In the following table is given the killings up to March 4 of the present season, with the figures for the corresponding period the previous .’ ' 1931-32 1932-33

Pookings are reported to be fairly regular. "There is plenty of feed at present, and, although cattle came forward early as a result of the improved market conditions for beef, many have been kept on the farms in View of the great growth of grass on Coast stations.

Sheep ... 64 216 44,276 Lambs ... 45.054 40,793 Cattle ... l 235 1,614 Calves 1 — Pigs 170 34 Totals ... ... 112,433 104,505