MEAT WORKS MONOPLY

Hokitika Guardian, 28 January 1929, Page 7

MEAT WORKS MONOPLY

FARMERS ALARMED

MINISTER INY ESTTGATES COMPLAINTS.

WELLINGTON, Jan. 25

Protest from Auckland that the Westfield freezing works, owned by W. and B. Fletcher, who are associated with the firm of Vcsty Bros., had been killing more than its limit of lambs recently and that this would prejudice farmers’ freezing interests have been investigated by the Hon. G W. Forbes, Minister of Agriculture. The Canterbury Farmers’ Union, when considering the Auckland protest, required further information, and this the Minister provided in a statement.

Mr Forbes remarked that farmers in Auckland province had feared their future interests would he seriously affected if the owners of the Westfield works obtained a monopoly of the moat feezing business in Auckland province as a result of their only competitor the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company, which does not buy, hut kills, freezes and markets fat stock on owners’ account-, being gradually scpieczed out, hence they viewed with alarm proposals for the extension of the killing capacity of the Westfield works. Some alterations were necessary at these works in the interest of sanitation, and the owners included in their plans some addition to the accommodation for slaughtering sheep and lambs.

Having regard to all the circumstances, the Government in March last continued Mr Forbes, gave authority for the alterations to go on, hut with tho proviso that killings were not to exceed the previous daily capacity of the premises. During the late rush period, when lambs off their mothirs were coming forward in large numbers as many as possible ol the excess over the daily quota of Westfield have been killed at the adjacent Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company’s works Southdown, on behalf of the Westfield company which has also put a large number through at the Farmers’ Company’s works at Mocrewa, in the Bay of Islands district. During the rush period, days have occurred when the two works at Auckland have been unable, without Westfield exceeding its former capacity to cone with all the lambs coming forward, and the excess has had to be dealt with at Westfield This meant killings on some days which were inexcess of the quantity provided for by the restriction, but if this extra killing had not been done loss would have been incurred by farm ers through inability to get their lamb away off their mothers when they were fit. Tt was suggested that the surplus could have been dealt with at the Farmers’ Company’s work at Horotiu but it was found this proposal was entirely unacceptable to the Westfield Company. THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY. “Now the position lias been .put on a definite basis and daily killings at Westfield have to ho kept within the. limit as before,” said Mr Forbes. “The Government recognises the principle that the* legilmate interests oi Dominion producers in connection with slaughtering and freezing facilties must hi* protected whore necessity exists, and having regard to the steady nicioase year by year in the numbers of sheep in Auckland province, there seems a prospect that the difficulty which has lately existed will in time right itself. Since 1024 sheep in Auckland district show • an increase of 412.360.