FREEZING WORKS PROJECT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 655, 28 March 1914, Page 5

FREEZING WORKS PROJECT.

MEETING AT OTOROHANGA. A meeting in connection with the projected freezing works for Waikato and the King Country was held at Otorohanga on Thursday. There was an excellent attendance, the chair being occupied by Mi P. Hargreaves. Messrs T. Coopsr and R. M. Somerville addres3ed thr> meeting in the interests of the proj. ctfd company. During the cours? <>? his remarks Mr Somsrviile deiilt the open letter which had be issued by the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company He pointed out that the figures issued in the letter indicated what a poo * grasp that company had of the district. The speaker quoted the figures to show that no attempt had been made to cope with the increase. What extensions had been made were , entirely inadqueate. with the result that farmars had to sustain loss and , disappointment. He said tbat the i greater portion of tha districts be- ! tween Auckland and Taumarunui had been full )f fat stock since the open ing of the season with no chance of thw stock being taken in at the Auckland works. He quoted instances of delays and disappointments sustained by himself and neighbours as indications that the conditions which had existed in the past were altogether inimical to the farmers' interests. The speaker pointed to that when the Auckland works started there were about 200,000 sheep in the district, while now there were at least three or four titties that number. There was great expansion also going on in the country lying south of Putaruru and the Rotorua district, a;id that the indicated increase was every justification for the establishing of freezing works in the district, Mr Coopar. in his ad dress, referred to the fact that works established at inland centres were higiily successful. Thu Masterton works had been established in the face of strong opposition in the shape of two big companies in Wellington, and both the new and the old companies had prospered and expanded. One of the advantages of inland works was that the sheep were killed in the bloom and the Waingawa (Masterton) brand on the London market was next to Canterbury. The car- j riage of mutton in insulated trucks had been proved to be the best method of railing the meat, and the carcasses j always arrived in good condition. The | speaker also referred to the "ircular issued by the Auckland Compmy and coubatted the statement that the company had nut been approached concerning works in the Waikato. The Auckland Company made a point of the fact that it had the support of 1000 shareholders, mostlv in Waikato. The new project at Pio Pio and Otorohanga alone had received the support of over 100 shareholders without a canvass being made, and in a week he felt confident of having 500 shareholders in the King Country alone. The tone of the meeting indicated that the support of the Otorohanga farmers would be given to the new company A meeting is to be held at Te Kuiti on Tuesday evening next at 8 o'clock, in the Municipal Hall, when addresses will be delivered by Messrs Somerville and Cooper,