NEW FREEZING WORKS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 569, 26 July 1909, Page 9

NEW FREEZING WORKS

' A MEETING AT MASTERTON

':,■:■ (By TqlcEraßli^—Special 'Correspondent.)'.■ ■; . rS\A r '.largemeeting/of/ farmers "was; held.' at; Masterton on- Saturday afternoon last in con-. 'nectiori••■'with'' the newly-formed".'■ Wellington Farmers' Co-operative Meat' Freezing Co. ;to, hear an address'.byjMr;' J..7C., Cooper,, one of •the','prompters of the company;, and, :a prominent■.farmer:.'.Mr....Cooper, who is an; able speaker, is: vice-president of the \V ellington provincial'branch of the New Zealand Farmers' TJhion,\and; ho 'dwelt! on' the' objectsVof -the: company, and howthe. ..latter should be run.,;} His remarks covered, ground several .times ipreyiously. traversed, .when the preliminary meetings ; .to 'form 'the. company, were he]d.-;'Heireferfed:-to the cpmplaints-l 'made by "farmers that: it-had 'been found in past years', -thai , , the':.' glut of 7 stock : >iri;,:the i season 'at the \Vellingtpn works;had'■ caused considerable loss "to: farmers .in 'this' district, aa. they had to-Keep stock oh -hand;-that., should /be .disposed: ot. The. company would be runon lines'similar'to the Canterbury and Gisbo'rno.freezing/ 'The shares. had ..been fixed, at ;JSo. each, arid : no person could hold more than three hundred snares. This'.would/prevent./the':company- becoming a, monopoly; for-a'"'few. -.He , hoped that, tho' company \youldbe'pufely,a:farmers' concern, and be run as .nearly as possible.'on co-opera-tive"' : lines:':^; ; Already '^several buyers'' had ■'■expressed ■ their .willingness... io. buy all the meat' the company handled if the company graded similarly to the Wellington Meat ■Export: Company; It-was proposed ;to do r this; '■■■''. The , ; company, did - not intend;to. and ■■would get for farmers the/best: value for their stock: and by-products.: , v ; ■ ■ Mr.7W- ; C; Buchanan .also spoke on mat-, : ters relating to'the.':company.' .Ho : saidrhe would support any company'that-would improve his position.as-a farmer, and .the positionof other farmers. vThe Wellington Meat Export ■ Company was '.nothing' to' him .any, more than 'a'medium -to', export, his 'stock. .K 'was absurd .to. , say: that the yWellington works.'were iiot capable of dealing! i output.' With' their, capacity of eleven thousand per day,'they could deal.with at/least 150,000 more than they do. 'There had-been a, block,in, the past,'but this was.not.due to want of capacity.but;to other causes. ._.'.' Speeches wore delivered by several..othor farmers' present- supporting orthe.new.cdmpanys:;;■'■■':• . '■'■■•"■ : -:S- : ■ Mr.' Cooper, m Mr. Buohanans criticisms, said thattho present company, wasbeing, formed purely in the interests of farmers. '".■..'•,■■'■'■■' '."■•",■■■.'.'' •'.• : ..■■■■■■'•.■'■■'■■, ■.;'.'■ '■~,.!'■'. Mr.' , J. '"C.-Cooper, in an interview with a Dominion representative, emphatically denied' a'statement made in tho Foxton paper alleging that lie had said Wellington'was anJm-; possible site for'tho proposed farmers'.-fredz-; ihg works, and that Foxton was an eminently suitable locality. He wishcd.it to bo clearly understood that the question of site was still absolutely open, and would bo settled by the. shareholders .themselves;: ■■;, ~ . ,7 : ;