Page 12 Advertisements Column 3

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 111, 8 February 1928, Page 12

BEST BUSINESS POLICY. WHAT WAIRARAPA FARMERS SHOULD DO. “What the farmers of this district should do,” says a prominent stockgrower, “is to get together behind their own freezing works and resolve to keep Waingawa open. Unless they do that, they may one day wake up to find that they are in a somewhat similar position to that of over twenty years ago—and believe me, that period was no picnic. “The best business policy for our farmers to follow is to maintain the local works to handle the local stock. It would be a most retrograde step to lose Waingawa and be compelled to send our stock to Wellington or elsewheie. “The apathy of many Wairarapa farmers in respect to Waingawa shows plainly that they do not relise the beneficial effects that follow the existence of the local works. In the first place, it ensures healthy competition amongst buyers, improves the price of stock, helps to maintain the quality and reputation of Wairarapa sheep and lambs, and incidentally has an important bearing on the value of all sheep properties. “If Wairarapa stock could not be dealt with locally, think of the damage and wastage that would result through having to rail all sheep and lambs to Wellington. This factor alone would discount values to a considerable extent. In addition, the risk of a holdup is too important to be ignored. I believe that a hold-up on the railways in the height of the season for, say, ten days, would mean the accumulation of about 136,000 stock. “Wairarapa is such an important sheep-producing district, and the reputation gained by its stud flocks, and its mutton and lamb, is so high that the maintenance of its own works is imperative. Why, without it the identity of our produce would be absolutely lost. Wairarapa should be self-contained in the matter of handling and killing of its stock and the storage of carcases. Only in that way can the farming industrv develop, can land values be maintained, and a fair reward for the farmer be secured. “To my mind, the case in favour of Waingawa is unanswerable; the works should be maintained in hands capable of keeping up competition. That is. the only ‘safe and sane' policy.”—P.B.A.