FREEZING' INDUSTRY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19842, 17 May 1927, Page 7

FREEZING' INDUSTRY

FARMERS’ "OPEN ROAD’ HANDLING THEIR OWN STOCK [Per Press Association.] PAHIATUA May 16. At a meeting of local shareholders in the Wairarapa Frozen Meat Co. Mr J. G. Brechin, a director, stated in his opinion the only possible solution to the iuHificulty, which was Ikely to get more acute as time went on, was the difficulty of keeping open to farmers the “road to London.” Economic conditions were rapidly closing that open road, and one had only to look at what was taking place in the southern portion of the North Island to realise the dangerous condition of affairs that had come about. With the closing of the smaller freezing works larger works had been built up, and those larger works were held by other than farmers with the result that the commercial interests were getting a “stranglehold” which ere long would be pretty bad for the farmers. The fact that farmers preferred to sell to speculators rather than take the risk of open consignment, was another factor. If freezing companies {efused to buy, it was. obvious that the big speculator would step in and. reap tho harvest. No one blamed him for that as it was his business. It would mean that the best client the freezing works had, would be the speulator who had the weight of stuff for freezing, and who would receive concessions. • The farmer would as usual, receive the lowest possible price. The shareholders of the Wairarapa company wished, l to deal with their own stock and they had tho same right to concessions as had the biggest firm using works. Mr Brechin strongly advised the shareholders to record votes for the amalgamation proposal which was unanimously supported.