A GREAT MEAT COMPANY

Hokitika Guardian, 18 May 1923, Page 4

A GREAT MEAT COMPANY

Mil 1,. l-\ SWIFT INTERVIF.WF.f) IVELT.INGTOX, Jlav IC. On a hurried visit to Xew Zealand just now is Mr L. F. Swift, of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Air Swift i s the head n> the world-famous meat packing firm, lie is a man with a massive frame, and ho has a charming manner and a clear eve which is capable of a merry twinkle if the occasion for it arises. Possibly it could flash fire as well if the necessity arose. Air Swift will board the ferry boat for Lyttelton this -evening, and will lie in Christchurch to-morrow. He will return here on the following day, and leave by the Sydney steamer of Friday to catch the Xaldera, sailing from Australia to London. Air Swift heads the list of directors, and is president of the company, and among the directors and officers arc no fewer than five other Swifts. One of them is the s on, and others brothers of the President. In regard to his appearance in these parts, ono did not expected to get a great deal out of such a. shrewd Lusincss man as the president of Swift and Company must lie. Tu answer to. a question as to the object- of His visit to Xew Zealand, ho said lie had come because he had never been here before. Air Swift, however, willingly supplied sumo interesting information about the operations of his company for the last year. There are in the company no fewer than 45,000 shareholders, and of these Iff,OIK) are employees. The employees now own twenty-one million dollars’ worth of company stock, and they are encouraged to huv shares on the instalment plan. It is interesting to note that there are 17,00!) women shareholders in the company. The earnings for the year were just over thirteen million dollars, the sales amounting to six hundred and fifty million dollars, the earnings being equivalent to about two cents on each dollar of sales. Three hundred and seventeen million dollars were paid for live animals in cash from day to day as the animals were bought. Air Swift says that the company's relations with its employees

arc harmonious. In regard to Government supervision, he states that the administration of the law has recently been constructive. Xo difficulties have arisen, and he expresses a hope that the present sound policy of administration will continue indefinitely. Popular opinion in regard to the packing industry in America seems to have undergone a considerable change, and Air Swift believes that the educational advertising done by the coup paliv and the attempts made to counteract unfair stalemenls have developed a substantial goodwill both for the company and tor the products that it S<’!K. In retro I'd to conditions generally in the United States. Mr Swilt says that they are slowly getting back to norma! after two years of somewhat severe depression. The cost of living is slowly coining down, hut as wages are st’ll nboul 39 per cent, above pre-war level, the cost of living is stiil high. In roftnrcl to trade in moat liotwoon Xew Zealand and American, Air Swift expressed the opinion that, owing to the duty of 3 cents a lb on imported meat, no great development in that direction was to he expected, and that Cleat Britain was the natural outlet for Xew Zealand meat. He had gone through several of the freezing i oinpanios’ works in the Xortli Island, and had found them fairly up-to-date. One tiling, he noticed, however, was Dial the beef was » good deal bruised. This pointed to tlio fact that the cattle had sulTered in transit, ami to the necessity for early dehorning, of w hich he is a strong advocate. In i instates practically all the cattle arc dehorned. To swell an extent was the practice carried out than in one day's killi'im at. the great works of this firm there" 1 would he scarcely enough horns to fill In reel. Xew Zealand .stock breeders, he added, would be making the biggest mistake in (he world if they did not"go in for dehorning. Hi addition to preventing injury, especially m transit., it improved the entile hy mnkj,,,, tl, t .ni more docile. Another point it ■ emphasised was that cattle should i„. kittened as quickly as possible at from two end a-luill years old. D Xew Zealand fanners did this they would get far hotter results than d they loft their cattle I ill they were three and a half or four years old before fattening 1 hem for killing.