WANGANUI MEAT FREEZING COMPANY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17074, 30 August 1917, Page 6

WANGANUI MEAT FREEZING COMPANY.

ANNUAL MEETING

.'•*• The 27th annual meeting of the Wanganui Meat Freezing Company was held in the company's rooms yesterday afternoon, Mr G. A. Campbell (enair- : man. of directors) presiding over about twenty members. ;i 'Minutes.—The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. ■••.,■ Auditors'_ Report.— The auditors' report, certifying to the correctness of .the accounts and trihuting the excellent work of the staff, was adopted. ~.. Annual Report—ln moving the adoption of the annual report (which was taken as read), the Chairman expressed the opinion that members should be .well satisfied with the result of the ■year's working, especially in view cA tho difficulties contended with in the • >vay of shipping shortage. This was caused by the food shortage in Great Britain, the Imperial Government being compelled to rush to Canada, the United States and the Argentine ships that .were usually in the New Zealand trade. •When the feeding of the troops was at stake, she.-. Imperial Government could not do other than send the ships to the countries named,' whose proximity to .England made possible three trips as against one to New Zealand. People who had criticised the Government for hot 'having secured sufficient shipping space, did not know what they were talking about. This shipping shortage

,-:was a serious matter for New Zealand. The wool clip had been paid for, but that was not the case witn frozen meat (of. which 23-24 million freight carcases were in stock.) Nothing hud been,paid oil it, which meant a severe strain on • the finances of the individual and the ; monetary institutions of the Dominion. a, miracle nuppened, there would be two and a. half million freight carcases in. store when the new season -opened—which, in the case of Wangaiiui and other North Island companies, would be ;in October. By January there .. •■'Would be a, great increase of- mutton 'ih, stock,' but it was to be presumed '-I'hat a fair number of ships would b*j Available, and that added to the extra .-■^storage accommodation that was being ■provided everywhere, should make the •-^congestion ,less than new seemed to be ijUkeiy. In this connection, Mr Camps bell spoke of the new system of storing (by placing the hind quarters .■in the trunk), which would mean a -saving' of about one-sixth in space, company had recently decided to rinerease the storage capacity of the work's ta the extent of 48,000 cubic Jreet, wiiich would'enable the company rto. store 14;000 crates of cheese ana ;aa additional 60,000 freight carcases of .ihuton..- The cost of the additions (•(brick, with concrete foundations) ;would-Jbe about £14,000. The cost of .excavations would be additional. The shortage of space would necessitate freezing; only first-class meat, and sett-' Jers would be required to finish off •.'..their.stock better than they had 'done .'.during the past two seasons, when y. t'hiere had been, a craze to rush to the t :;w<)rUs' stock^ which was not prime. So )T^r. 35 second-class meat was cbnoern.ed; settlers could dispose of it for tin:.iiing; for which there was a big demand, i-hough the company could not pay / same price as for prime. After ' 3'^eakihg of the growth of the cheese y storage business, and mentioning that •the.proposed sale of the works to the ; Wellington Meat Export Company fell •fchrou'lJi, Mr Campbell moved the adoption jof the repoi't. "';. ■■;.':';'• ■jijEcl E; Gr. Fletcher seconded the moA iion'j- and roundly. chastised those who Jiad criticised the Government for failure to provide shipping apace. "Men '~ Aalking like that are childish, and wor^e r^han childish. They don't know what 'they are talking about, and are not 'TTorthy to be citizens of the British Empire. 3'

. Mr. T. B. Williams rtiovcd as an amendment that a dividend of six pev cent, (instead of 8 per cent.) be paid. This failed to secure a seconder, and the- motion was carried. Re-felected. —There being- no other >nominations, Messrs Campoell, Burnett and Stevenson were- re-elected directors and Messrs Silk and F. C. Mill ward * were re-elected- auditors. "" Directors' Honorarium.-^Mr Fletcher ruoved that each director receive the ' same honorarium (£SO) as last year. This was seconded by Mr Allison. - Mr. T. B. Williams moved as aa amendment that the honorarium be £75. This was seconded by Mr Sims. On being pvit. the amendment was lost by 8 to 9, and the motion was carried by 6 to 3. ; ' '.Auditors' [. Fees.^-On the motion of Mr. Fletcher, seconded by Mr. D. Ross, the auditors' fees Avere fixed at the same amount as last year. - The meeting concluded with, a vote of thanks to the directors.