THE WAITARA FREEZING WORKS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7961, 3 September 1887, Page 2

THE WAITARA FREEZING WORKS.

At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Frozen Meat Company, thb Chairman (Mr. A. Bull) made the following remarks respecting the Company's works at Waitara : — "As stated in the report, it was with very groat reluctance that the directors decided to close the Waitara works, as it mußt be apparent that the main earnings of the Company have come therefrom. It has before been explained that the present price of stock, low as it is, will not permit the entire animal to be tinned. It may be taken that in order to compete with American tinned meat, tbe preserving department muat obtain its snpply at somewhat under Id. per lb. It is a simple matter for calculation as to whether the average of prices rnling will allow meat to be tinned at that figure, unless a considerably higher price is obtained for some portion of the beast, viz, the prime joints. I do not refer to occasional low prices for small quantities of stock, but for a supply that may be reckoned on to keep our preserving department in steady work, " aay 150 to 250 beasts per week. Oar expeiience is that such a Bupply cannot be obtained at prices that will enable tbe entire beast to be tinned at the margin I have named, and tho sale of the prime joints at an increased price is therefore a necessity^ while tho heavy losses we have sustained in endeavoring to get these prime joints out of the conntry preclude farther shipments until better prices rule in the Home markets. During the past twelve months the following stock has been killed at Waitara, in round numbers: — Cattle, 5500; sheep, 8000; pigs, 450 ; calves, 20 ; giving a total of 4,416,000 lbs of meat, of which only 257,500 lbs has been sold locally. The meat preserving will in future be carried on in Auckland, and although there will be some increase in cost of stock, yet there will be a large saving, consequent on the concentration of operations at the one establishment.