BELFAST FREEZING WORKS

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11510, 17 February 1903, Page 9

BELFAST FREEZING WORKS

TWENTY YEARS' WORK.

Twenty years ago yesterday, viz., February 16th, 1883, the Canterbury Frozen Meat and Dairy Export Company began active operations at the. Belfast freezing works, by slaughtering sheep and lambs for freezing and export. The only other works at that time in the cokmy were those of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company at Burnside. The capacity of the Belfast works was then 250 sheep or lambs per day, with a storage capacity of about 9000 carcases. The first shipment of meat was made by the British King, which sailed early in April. The shipment consisted of 5618 carcases of mutton, 1580 of buub, of a total weight of 410,3661b5, and the shippers were Messrs John Gngg, Joseph Haydon, Hay Bros., R. H Rhodes (Blue Cliffs), J. C. Wason, R. Chapman John Stndhohne, Dudley Northey, J._TMatson, Henry Overton, John Hurst, James Gough, W. Pottlethwaite, John Deans, T. B. Howson, N.Z. and Australian Land Co., J. Ruddenkl-u, E. Elwortby, and John Cooke. There- bad also been prepared, but shut out from the shipment, stock from Messrs E. Herring, W. Chrystall, D. CaSneron, E. J. Lee, and J. B. At* the time of starting, the machineiy consisted of one Haslam 40,000 feet dry air refrigerator, and a smaU pump for supplying water to the slaughter-house; the total cost of land, buildings, machinery, and n-rway siding was £14,992. 17s Id, and the paid up capital of the company was £7736. It was soon found that the works were not large enough, and the first extensions were commenced in the spring of 1883, since which time additions and improvementa to bnildings, machinenr, etc., have been almost constant. On the [ morning of *the Ist December, 1888, the, free_lng rooms, stores, and part of the , cooling room were destroyed by fire, and [the premises were rebuilt m brick and conllH I !■■ Mil I—l II II l|jll| 1 ~~' " ~"

Crete on a more extended scale. To-day the effective working capacity excwds 6500 cheep and lambs per day, with a storage capacity of about 90000 carcases. The company first began to deal with offal j in 1889. Preserving, manure, and fell- j mongerv quickly followed, so that by 1892 all the "fey-products were being dealt with. Later on," in 1894, arrangements were made with a European firm by which oleo works were erected on the premises. From February 16th, 1883, to December 31st, 1883 68.010 sheep and lambs were put through at Belfast. Tbe total for the year 1884 was 129,793. Up tili Saturday last, the 14th inst., the total number of sheep and lambs dealt with at Belfast reached 7,051,802. In 1899 the company started ite Faii-field works, which naturally withdrew from Belfast the clients from south of the Rakaia. Last year the quantity of stock dealt with at the two works passed 880.000' head. The pay sheete last year amounted to £46,606 10s Id, and the railway siding account passed £28.000. Probably the most strenuous fights the company has had. have been in connection with the inaugurating and maintaining of that standard of quality which has resulted in Canterbury mutton and lamb leading all other brands of frozen, meat imported into England.