PROPOSED REFRIGERATING COMPANY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2767, 6 August 1883, Page 3

PROPOSED REFRIGERATING COMPANY.

A meeting of the provisional committee appointed to draw up a report ia connection with th« proposal for floating a local meat refrigerating company wm held in the Harbor Board's olfioe» on Saturday afternoon. The following gentlemen were pruent :— Messrs Blwortby, Orbell, Stndholme, Price, Wrieht. B. H. Rhodes, Ford, Lovegrove, Bristol, a. ». Barker, W. Grant, Guild, Evans, Moody, Woollcombe, Aroher, Acton, Wigley.abd Olulee (Acting Seoretary). Mr Blworthy was voted to the chair. He explained that Mr J. T. Ford and Mr Banks, of Ghristchureb, bad come to Timaru for the purpose of giriug the meeting the benefit of the experfonoa they had obtained ia oonneotion with the Christchuroh Befrigeratiog Company, and suggested that those gentlemen be invited to attend the meeting. Mr Stud-

hr.lmo having briefly introluced them, the CiiuirQ'an expreme i his pleasure at seeirg them at t tie meeting, and hoped they would be good enough lo miko miy suggestions that would in their opinion be of any advantage iu floating the ooaipany. The Secretary then read correspondence from the Dunedin and Chrietohurch companies, received in reply to a series of questions as to the preliminary measures taken for flouting their respective companies, and also laid on tho table a large amount of useful information from the same sources in the shape of protpectuses, roports, and balancesheets. After some discussion the fallowing recommendations for the consideration of the public meeting to be held on .-aturdoy, the 11th inet., were resolved upon by the Oommitteo : — " 1. That a local Meat Refrigerating Company be floated to be called the ' South Canterbury Kefrigerating Company.' " " 2. That the subscribed capital of the Company be £25,000, in 5000 eharea of £5 each, paid up as follows :— sa on application, 5s on allotment, calls to be made as required of not aioro than 10a per share, at intervals of not less than two months. "3. That the following gentlemen be requested to act as provisional directors, viz., Messrs M. Studholme, K. Elworlhy, H. Ford, W. Moody, 9. A. Bristol, R. A. Barker, S. D. Barker, G. P. Lovogrovo, F. Archer, R. H. Rhode.-, junr., A. W. Wright, T. 11. Wigley, W. Grunt, J. Page, E. Acton, M. Guild, B. Woollcombe, F. LoCren, h. Prioo, W. Kvans and W. Postlolhwaito, with power to add to their number. "4. That tho Union Bank of Australia (Limited), bo appointed tho Company's bankers. "5. That Messrs Perry and Perry be appointod solicitors to the Company. "6. That Mr G. F. Oluleo be appointed Seoretsry to the Company pro tern. "7. That the Shipping Companies bo requoted to state what number of sailing vessels, fitted with refrigora'ors, they would bo prepared to supply for 1884, with numbers of lay days, rat t», &o. "8. That a Sub-Committee to be chojon at the public meeting, be nppointod tOßeleota suitable site for erection of permanent works, with power to invito tenders by udverti-o-ment for providing »amo. Whon provider), slaughtering provisos to bo at onca erected, to slaughter sheep for vessels to load and freeze inside tbe Breakwater during the ensuing season. "9. That a Sub-Comniitteo be uppointed consisting of Mejsra Blworlhy, Arohei 4 , Ford, Bristol, Price and Moody, to draw up a provisional prospectus to be submitted for approval of the publio meeting to bo held on Saturday, tho llth inst., embodying tho suggestions which havo now been approved by the Provisional Committee, and that the publio meeting be called by advertisement, staling hour and place of meeting." This being the last of tho recommendations made by the Committee, it was resolved that the thanks of the meeting bo conveyed to tbe respective secretaries of the Dunedin and Cbristchurch Companies, for tho largo amount of information they had forwarded in reply to the Committee's enquiries. Mr Bristol said that a hearty vote of thanks should be accorded to Mestrs Banks and Ford, for the kind way in which they had eudenvored that day to forward the proposed enterprise, 'iho.v had made a special trip to Timaru for that purposo, and had considerably lessened the work of tho Committee and forwarded the proposal by their practical suggestions and experience. He begged to move a resolution to that effect. Mr Piice seconded Mr Bristol's proposal, which wa» umniraously carried. Mr Banks, in replying for bimtelf and Mr Ford, said it had been a great pleasure to them to be present and assist tho Committee to the best of their ability. In connection with the industry which the Timaru people intended to promote, he might say that tho refrigerating question was at present iu its very infancy. His advices ou the subject were numerous, and invariably spoke of the industry as one the future capacity of which fow had any idea of. lie bad heard people say that it was premature for Timaru to start independently with permanent works, and that at present it should bo content lo remain as an offshoot of Christohurch or Dunedin ; but he differed entirely witli llueo views. It should be looted upon as a matter of great national value, und no question of local jealousy should be allowed to exist. Ho had also been (old that ships would not come to Timaru to load. In his opinion, ouch statetnonts would be found to be utterly Unreliable. Tliero was, he knew, an iuimense number of ships being fitted with the necessary freezing apparatus, and ho was sure that so long as it paid the ship-owners to build and load from tbi« country, there would be no faeiitation oa their part to como to j Timaru, I' resolved itself into a mero business conclusion : If cargo from Timaru paid them they would come, if it did not pay them they would not come. Ho now looked fornnrd to some reduction in tho present rate of freight on carcajes, anil he believed the time was not far distant when the charge would be lid instead of 2d. Everything tended to show that the fast-increasing competition among Homo shipping must have the effect of increasing the facilities for fostering this industry and reducing the cost to a minimum. Few people were aware that at present the buyers of frozen stock vrere what is known as meat salesmen, who are Urge dealers, aud who only buy to retail again to the small butchers. We only heard, so far, of the prices obtained by these large meat salesmen, but doubtlers before long these middlo men would be done away with, and our meat put direct before the notice of the small men, and instead of obtaining 6J, 6Jtl, and 7d fur our mutton, we should bear of 8d and even 9d per lb. for it. Another important fact which had not yet received much attention was, that the trade is almost unknown beyond London, and in a short time the large towns, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, and others, will require to bs supplied, opening up fin inexhaustible demand for our surplus stock. He hoped the proposed company would be successful in its undertaking. Tho meeting then terminated.