NEW FREEZING WORKS

Chronicle (Levin), 6 August 1946, Page 4

NEW FREEZING WORKS

BIG ENTERPRISE AT LONGBURN COST WILL BE £1,250,000 The ftiggest singre commercial builtimg programme ever to be imdertaken by private enterprise in the lvianawatu aistrict, invoiving an estimated cost of £1,250,000, has been sta&'cecL at the Longburn Freezing Works, about four mfles from Palmerston North. It has been stated that tlie new works, when comipleted, will be the most modern of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The owners of the works are the Wholesale Cof-opera-tive Society, Ltd., with their head office in Manchester, England, and the contract for the tvork has been iet to the C.M.B. Construction Co., Ltd. It is thouglit tliat tlie projeet will take from four to ii-ve years to eomplete. To begm, only the minimum of recpiirements will be undertaken by the epntractors in order that the existing works may be kept operating for the approaching killing season, but as the "other facilities are provided the work will be speeded up and when the job is in full swing it is antieiphted 250 men will be engaged there. The new strue'ture will be ereeted o'n a site adjaeent the present buildings. The society's plans for Longburn have been a well kept secret, but lately rumours concerning the proposed reconstruction have been current and astronomical figures have been mentioned in.regard to the estimated cost. When a reporter visited the works yesterdayr the manager (Mr. W. E. Wilson) declined to make an authorit'ative statement on the society's proposals on the grounds that the plans were not sufiiciently advanced^ However, a member of the contracting firm, Mr. J. McMillan, of Palmerston North, told the reporter that the estimated cost was £1,250,000.

Mr. AK'.Aiillan said there had been a suggestion that carpenters might eonsider the freezing works job as nonessential in view of the urgent demand for houses, but the Minister of Works (Motu ^ Hemple) when approaehed on this aspect had given an assuranee that the project was considered by the Government to be a major priority because of the need for expediting the export of foodstulfs to Great Mritain. Interviewed yesterday, Mr. C. V. Ghristiansen, secretary of the -Carpenters' Union in Palmerston North, said tliat he had lieard nothing whieh might suggest that the work at Longburn would be considered non-essential by carpenters. Insofar as timlier supplies are concerned, it has been authoritatively i stated that the only timber required for the work would be that for heavy concrete boxing. Mr. II. H. ]\Iackrell, at present Building Jnspector to the Palmerston North City Co-unc.il/has been appointed by the WRolesale Co-operative Society Ltd-. as its elerk of works for the new project. History of Works. ' The Longburn Freezing Works were the first to be establislied in the Manawatu distriet, the buildings being ereet:ed on their present site in 1895. Plior to that time all stoek from this area I had gone to Wellington for slaughtering. The late Mr. D. Buiek was chairman of direetors of the company which inaugurated the new works, having ' with him as direetors Messrs J. MeLennan, R. S. Abraham, J. O. Baehelar and H. Howard. The works were capabie of dealing with 1500 sheep and (50 .head of cattle per day. Todav the works handle 4000 sheep and 100 head of cattle a day. The initial venture was by no means a successful one, and cventually the company wcnt into liquidation, and the shareholders lost a considerable amount of monev. The works did not close down entirely, however, the concern being acquired by the National Mortgage and Agencv Company which controlled them until 1040 when the Coonerative Wholesale Society Ltd., an Enplish organisation, purchased the works. The original .buildings were added to and feplaced from time +o time nntil nnw verv few of the old structnres .femain. Generallv • speakin'r, however, fhe evisfiner buildinp-s and facilities are considerablv outmodcd and overall re"onstruction has been required for some time past.