THE FARM INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 8

THE FARM INDUSTRY

0 WELLINGTON FARMERS'MEAT CO. 1 • :! REPORT AND PROSPECTUS. a ' l' COLD STORES FOR. PRODUCE MOOTED. : , WELLINGTON THE PROBABLE SITE. At a meeting of the ..provisional directors of the Wellington Farmers' Meat Company a " (Mr. J. C. Cooper, president, in the chair), j the following interesting report on the possi--3 bilitics of the meaWreezing industry was furr rushed by the promoters :■— t No agricultural community can now be . said to. be up-to-date unless it is well and > conveniently served'by freezing works. The • institution of tho industry opened up a new ' era in th© prosperity of the Dominion, and the inauguration of up-to-dato works must mean a considerable advancement to tho dis- [ tricts which they serve. Tho Wellington pro- , vinoo, and tho adjoining portion of flawko's , Bay, constitute by far tho best agricultural , and pastoral portion of tho Dominion, carry- : ing a stock of 6,000,000 onc- • third of tho sheep in the Dominion —and ■ about half a million cattle—a ! number con- : siderably in excess of tho total number of ; cattle in the South Island. With tho ad- ■ vanco of settlement, these figures must in | the near future, be very largely increased. , Even now, Wellington, in point of export of ) niutton and lamb, exceeds the totals for Can- ! terb.nry (up till recently considered tho premier province), while, in the export of beef, Wellington leads the Dominion by a long way. .'■•... "."■'• ' The total exports-of mutton and lamb, apart from tho beef from the above district for tho present year, will probably, be about ■ 2,000,000 carcasses, and, although we havo freezing works that probably rank among the largest and most up-to-date in tho Dominion, with their capacity taxed to : their utmost-., limits, .these have been absolutely unable to deal with tho enormous number of fat stock (of the very best quality in tho world) that has been'offered them this year. It is estimated that, had their capacity been large enough, at least another quarter of a million sheep and lambs could have been disposed of by. placing them on the Homo, market, as a largely increased-number of farmers havo this season gone in for breeding for the lamb trade. Tho position will probably bo yery much worse next yeary ■ and,. as lambs of this description are usually profitable to hold over for. another year, it is : of great importance that increased freezing accommodation bo provided at the'earliest possible date. Had it been possible to dispose of all tho sheep that were, or could have been, fattened during tho past season, and tho value for them in cash put' in circulation through our banking institutions, the present financial stringency would not be nearly severe as it is. Tho amount of surplus stock will now bo. a charge upon the farmer for another year, with probably no increase in value of the stock. The cost of keeping tbem, therefore, will almost amount /to a dead loss,. and tho glut is even now having V most depressing effect upon all • classes of stock offered for sale. '' _ Tho existing freezing companies would, no doubt,-riso to the occasion by increasing the capacity of their buildings and plant to meet the largely increased supply of stock in tho near future. We know, however, that this : increase of assets would-be provided'for out of the profits of the various companies' businesses, and not by tho floating of increased capital. -. Tin's assumption is entirely based .upon'past experience. ■ .The promoters of tho Wellington' Farmers' Meat Company, Limited, proposo that, as : the farmers of tho district must pay for the increased accommodation, that they should do so by taking up shares in a company, and .thus provide an assot which shall entirely, be their own, and not by being forced to .accept a prico less than tho real value of their fat stock to enable'existing companies to increaso tho wealth of their own shareholders. It is proposed to provide, as at low.a rate as possiblo, cold storago for both butter and cheeso,'and also to deal with pigs ■' by their manufacture into pork or bacon,.and i to deal with other dairy products if tho dairy farmers of tho district support "the-company • by taking up shares to the extent antici- ; pated. ;■■'■•■;. ' . • ■,-■ ■- ~ln ' districts such as Wellington.' and Hawkes Bay tho success'of the towns and townships entirely depends upon tho success of. tho farmer and tho production of. the , back-country, generally.' Consequently an industry that will increaso their prosperity '< and valuo should be encouraged by every business man and investment in the pro- ! vincos, but, apart from, tho above reasons, since the timo that frozen moat became- a' recognised article off trade and secured for ] itself an.assured place .on tho Homo market, freezing works havo been considered a safoinvestmcnt. by all classes of investors.-.With tho rapid, development of . the farlning in- { diistry in thin portion of .the Dominion, it must become more so. and it is-proposed , that tho operation of this company shall not .1 be of _a' speculative nature. It is not tho f intention of tho company to deal generally m the.'produce. themselves,' but mainly as agents on behalf of tho producers. Conse- , quently, from tlioi experience of other simi- J Jar- companies, there is every reason to beheve that the undertaking will be an advantageous one to thoso investing therein. Every freezing company doing business in New . Zealand to-day is -paying its shareholders . very well indeed. Owing to tho present, tightness of money, tho directors havo'do- T oided to .extend tho calls .'over as long a s period as possiblo. . V •■ f .The prospectus of-the company places the lc capital at . £100,000,' divided ' into 20,000 c shares of £5 each. Twenty ; of the promoters * m Wairarapa and Bush districts have signed c the memorandum of tho; association, ; and * havo. taken up £5900 worth, of shares. It is. 6 intended that tho memorandum shall be c signed,by the promoters-in other districts, v after which the company shall bo registered. -..- .'■' ".. . 'r Messrs. J/C. Cooper, T. Quirfe, T. Hod- * gins, and Lorn ax have been appointed a * committee until'tho company is floated, and T Messrs; Quirke and'Hodkin's havo been s pointed provisional directors, vico Messrs. a R. M'Kenzio and Robinson,' Tho company <i has received a large amount of ■ information - 1 from Mr. J. Corrigan, who formed the Nel- c son Co-operativo Freezing Works. Mr. Cor- c ngan has Been, assured that all the capital f will bo forthcoming to float tho company, s arid that tho question of site will bo settled T later by expert decision. As it is at present plainly the/intention of the company to erect cold storago accommodation for butter, cheese, etc: (which will bo drawn from both the Manawatu and Wairarapa railway'lines), it is considered almost certain that Wellington will ho selected as the- site' of the ' freezing works and cold storago stores. •' '______ _■_ e "-' '- - ~~. " '■'-■ ■ o ; ABOUT RONGOTEA. : \ ■ ~— : ' '■ ''-, ■ 1 WHERE CAMPBELLTOWN BUTTER/ t COMES FROM. ' , a ; Rongoteal Even to-day (writes our travelling correspondent) some of tho older settlers = speak of "Campbelltown," which used to be tho namo.of the town; and what tales they can tell of-tho early, islays of scttloment in 1 tho district! But tho name'of "Rongptea" seems to be almost synonymous with "butter." Goodness only knows how many years it is suico Mr. Covrie started the first factory, ' which was afterwards' sold by him to i the' co-operativo company; but it seems a long -while- ago. Tho Itongotea Company is unique,' in that "it. is.ono of the very few which cor-ducts all its operations under one roof. Rongotoa has no outlying skimming stations or creameries; all the milk is sent to the factory, and to this fact,'no doubt, is duo tho position of the company to-day. ' They had no outsido expenses.' nor a lot of capital locked up in plant and buildings, in - addition to extra salaries and other charges, which aro inseparable from-; concerns which ' have a number of creameries attached to them. . ', But Itoiigotca is not concerned, in butter to tho exclusion of everything elso, though nearly ._ everything elso seems, to 'revolve round it. A good many of the farmers havo put in jroas of maize for their cows; and 1 what an. assistance this is can be duly ap- • predated during a period like tho dry weeks of a late summer. From inquiries made the writer did not gather that there was anv appreciable difference in 'tho tost, through ,±lio wo, groat thing to

that tho flow of milk is kept up duringtbo driest of dry summers. Another thing for which Eongotca soil seems congenial is peas, if tho yields are anything lilto evenly distributed. A farmer told mo .that he had sowed kss than four' bushels on ono 1 . and three-quarter acres, and that his yield from them- was, 106 bushels; and even then, as thoy were hand threshed, ho had not got them all out. He reckoned ho had a crop which would have threshed out, with the machine, about 70 bushels per acre. Then, again, there is another busy man at Eongotca, Mr. Gloyno. Some folks say that when you have done your share of milking, been to tho factory, fed tho calves and pigs, and finished tho other hundred and ono jobs on a dairy farm, there is no time for anything else. And, really, to sec some dairy farms, this is true. But Mr. Gloyno finds time to do a lot of extra work, this season ho has had between four and five acres of onions, and anyone' who' knows' anything .about cropping at all knows that there is nothing which takes more time and attention than an onion crop. Anyway this farmer managed to find time, and when I was there tho surfaco was just a continuous mass of them. And then he did not consider ho had a crop out of tho ordinary. In addition ho had a crop of shallots—immense bulbs, like good-sized onions. The crop was at the rate of about twelve tons per acre. There was only about a square chain, but it was wonderful to see.tho produce. .. This farmor finds time also to make a good stack of silago for winter. After all, it is just another case of "where there's a will there's a way." I often think what a' good deal more might be done on our farms if only some of us were more energetic. Wo have had too good times: the cheques have come in with, such comparatively little labour that we do not care to 'launch'' out in' any ; now. direction. Wo may learn'to do it some day. ■■ FROZEN KIDNEY TRADE, DIFFICULTIES REMOVED. ■When tho famous crusade, against imported frozen boned beef began in England and Scotland, and regulations were introduced forbidding its admission except under severe, conditions, of packing, it was feared that frozen kidney and sweetbreads came ■within, tho scope of that, treatment. Although the volumo of these, morsels exported is' necessarily small in comparison with the weight pf carcasses sent, away, by steamer, nevertheless: tho trade is sufficiently important to New Zealand to bo valued by the various refrigerating firms. Tho new conditions respecting the admission into Britain of boned beef made it necessary that tho various pieces must not bo packed "unfrozen and then pressed and frozen in one mass— a courso which economised space and ;freight —but must henceforth be frozen in their separate pieces and packed afterwards.'The object of the now rule to enable-the inspectors at Home, to examine each piece separately' for traces of disease,, and to be able to identify each boneless fragment as a. recognised part of tho animal to which it professed to'belong'.. ~ ' ;',■' It is-now decided, however,' that kidneys and sweetbreads aro not to be included in the regulations. This decision has apparently been brought, about .through, tke'joint activities of the High Commissioner in London, of Mr. ■ Crabbe,. New Zealand's, veterinarian in England. Although'' no clear decision oh the, point appears* to have' been arrived at by'the local Government' Board; a. cablegram . has been '■■ received in ..New ; Zealand from the High Commissioner, in which'ho suggests that• in 'future frozen k'idnoys for. export should be. packed only two deep in the, boxes, By having tho kidneys arranged in only two layers, and in spite :of the kidneys being frozen together, tho inspectors at' Home aro, enabled, if they desire, to examine each kidney in the package. From the High Commissioner's cablegram, it, appears that although no alteration will bo made in , the wording of the regulations, yet their interpretation will be earicd nvsuch a ■way,:as l to-exclude, kidneys , and sweetbreads from'., tho'meats to which thpy apply.: . .•'■•. ■:, -, ..'< :^:: THISTLE PROSECUTIONS. : Batches of farmers aro now being regularly jrought-before the Court by under • ;ho Noxious Weeds Act for failing to cut Dalifornian thistles on their land before the > ilants havo seeded (says tho "Otago Daily : Kmcs"). ' Several-farmers from tho Penin- ■■ rula, in cases heard at the City Police Court, lold strongly; as. other farmers havo .done, ihat cutting, in December ■ and January, as irovided by the Act, promotes a stronger • ;rpwth of the plants, which flower and seed ater on, whereas. if. the thistles'. we're' cut n February, 1 and in tho early; part of March n many districts,; inoro practical good would le accomplished.' Farmers also complained hat during December, and January of last 'ear, (while in tho middle of. tho'hay and urnip-thinning season), they could not obtain .• arm labour for thistle-chtting. One witness, tated that tho labour difficulty was so great t tho period stated that' ho could not get' •man for itho work oven if he offered £1 ier day for his services'. •, CALIFORNIAN THISTLE. A small farmer from. North • Canterbury,' dio has been iu Southland during tho preent threshing season, has returned with in- . ormatibn that he thinks his brother, land-' H'ds ought to know, (writes ;our Christchurch orrespondent). He threshed on botween hirty and forty farms, and he alleges'that h every one of them there was Calif orriian histle, : the weed being more, prevalent on omo as compared with others; but in. all ases no .-attempt is madoto take-out 'eed from either oats, chaff,-or grass-seed.' • 'his, ho says, is due to the fact that tho :. ion oh tho threshing machines are expected o put through fifty bags'.'of oats per hour, fhich gives them no tirue.to take out the reed;.:' Ho thought that it was, shameful that ucha state of things ..should bo permitted,' '; s f armors with clean lands might buy oats or half from tho district mentioned, and then condor how it was that their own lands beanie, infested with Californian thistle, or ther noxious Weeds. In the interests of armers generallyj he thought, that something hould be done to prevent the propagation of reeds in this manner. ".'"•■.-. AUCKLAND WINTER SHOW. ' ' ' * .' ' '. : Our Auckland correspondent writes:—At •'■ ho forthcoming winter show of tho Aucklnd A. and P 4 Association tho Government xhibits will include a show of flax, and a isplay of birds and eggs by tho.poultry dilsion of tho Agricultural Department. This •ill comprise frozen.poultry prepared at the ical depot, model poultry, houses, and poulry requisites such as incubators, brooders, nd green bono cutters. Officers of the Deartment will bo present to give expert ad'.co.. '.".'...■"'■.-■