MEAT WORKS MERGER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17349, 14 May 1924, Page 10

MEAT WORKS MERGER.

FARMERS’ UNION SUGGESTIONS. (Special to the “Star.”) WELLINGTON, May 13. The proposal to combine all meat freezing works in the Dominion with a view to eliminating unprofitable overlapping and securing more economical working will take on a definite character within a few days. A meeting is to be held here to further discuss the amalgamation scheme in the light of opinions from various boards of directors and proprietary companies, who have received particulars of a general character. / How does the farmer himself view the idea so far as it has been outlined ? The “ Farmers’ Weekly,” the official organ of the Farmers’ Union remarks in the latest issue : “ It provides for an amalgamation of all farmers’ co-opera-tive meat freezing works, i.e., to buy out proprietary works and place all meat freezing establishments in the hands and ownership of meat growers. This scheme only leads farmers to the brink of the chasm. Who is to get the meat after the farmer has paid for stock, land to fatten it, killed it and frozen it ready for the market ? They will naturally desire to know what voice they are to have in exporting and marketing. Information is being deliberately held back on the pretext that no definite form has yet been given to the proposal. Does this mean that no criticism is to be invited until criticism would be worthless and powerless ?. It would considerably illumine the project if the Meat Producers Board would say whether a scheme whereby meat farmers own the meat works means that the works owners are also to own all the meat frozen, or does it mean that farmers are only to own the works for the convenience of fat stock buyers ? ”

The Farmers’ Union /organ does not believe that there are too many freezing works in the Dominion, for by “ adopting the freezing district scheme the present wasteful overlapping of buying and collecting would be entirely eliminated. Collecting costs and loss of meat in transit would go to an irreducible minimum And the middlemen would be able to* increase the amount paid to growers by id per pound on mutton.”

Reform should start in the conduct of the freezing business, in the opinion of this authority. Every works, it is held, could be kept in profitable operation if sheep country was divided up into freezing districts.