PUBLIC MEETINGS AT GREYTOWN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 15, 6 May 1871, Page 7

PUBLIC MEETINGS AT GREYTOWN.

(Fbom our Special Kepoeter.) For some time past the stockowners of the Wairarapa have been considering the propriety of establishing meat preserving works, rather with a view of self-protection than with the idea of realising large dividends through their operation. The movement originated at the Hutt, which district, as also that of Wellington and the Wairarapa, were successively and successfully canvassed; Everybody appeared to be agreed as to the advantages which works of the kind would confer upon graziers generally, but the knotty question which remained for discussion was the site for the proposed works. It was generally understood that the promoters of the company were in favor of the Upper Hutt; and the Messrs Beetham, who offered to take 50 shares in the company, declined to have anything to do with it on this account, as there had been large boilingdown works established in the Wairarapa, and as it was admitted by the promoters of the new company that boiling down would constitute a branch of the business. Those settlers who held shares in the boiling-down works at Featherston were naturally anxious that the new company should establish its head-quarters there, and ultimately it was announced that the question of the site would be decided by the shareholders. With this arrangement several of the largest stockowners in the Wairarapa, who had no particular interest in the Featherston boilingdown works, were perfectly satisfied, and a large number of shares were taken up in consequence. But the shareholders in the boiling-down company were anxious for the proposed works to be conducted in connection with their establishments, and they resoUed that in any case meat preserving in future should constitute a branch of their operations. It was consequently announced that a meeting of the shareholders in the boiling-down company would be held at Creytown on Monday the Ist inst., and that afterwards a public meeting would be held to consider the question of forming a meat preserving company. The first meeting was to have taken place at 2 o'clock, but it was nearly 4 o'clock before anything was done. This customaiy absence of punctuality was more particularly annoying in the present case, as many persons attended to take part in the second meeting long before the first one commenced. THE BOIMffG-DOWN COMPANY. At nearly 4 o'clock the business of the first meeting commenced, when G-. Beetham, Esq, was voted to the chair. He regretted the absence of their chairman, Mr Bunny, and of their Secretary, Mr Tully, both of whom were unavoidably detained at Wellington. He read the reports of the directors ; from which we gathered that the expenditure of the Company amounted to £7BB 8s 4d, and the receipts to £642 10s, leaving a debt of £145 18s 4d. To meet this, the directors had received a year's rent which reduced the deficit to £35 18s 4d. The premises had been leased to C. Cundy and Son, at a rental of £BS, and the works were in good order. The land was freehold, comprising 40 acres, and was subject to a mortgage of £l5O on which a half year's interest was due. It was expected at their next meeting they should be able to pay a dividend of 5 per cent. The chairman concluded by moving, as is customary in such cases, the adoption of the report. Mr Cox thought that before the report was adopted, the accounts should be properly audited: which, after some discussion, was agreed to, Mr Cox and Mr Bannister being appointed auditors.

Mr Wardell said that he had attended the meeting rather for the purpose of taking part in the establishment of a new industry than in any expectation of receiving a dividend from the Boiling-down Company. Most of the shareholders had joined the company without any idea of making a profit out of it, but with the belief that it would pay them indirectly if not directly, and the result proved that they had not been mistaken. It was believed that both the direct and indirect benefits would be increased if meat preserving was carried on in conjunction with their boiling-down operations. His own idea was that no one spot could be fixed upon which would constitute a centre for the meat of the whole province. As regarded the Hutt, they did not raise sufficient to supply the Wellington market ; and neither Otaki, Eangitikei, or Wanganui would send cattle to the Upper Hutt. In fact Wairarapa supplied nine-tenths of the meat required for the Wellington market, as well as a considerable quantity of the stock that was exported from Wanganui to the West Coast. The conclusion at which he had arrived from these facts was, that if the Wairarapa could not supply sufficient meat to keep the propose works in operation there was no other part of the province which offered such facilities for the purpose. It would be better to have local works in the Wairarapa and on the West Coast than attempt to establish one large concern, which would be inconvenient for both, while it would fail to satisfy the requirements of either. The boiling down works had been a success, and it was believed that they would be still more successful, directly as well as indirectly, if meat preserving was carried on in connection with them. By this means they would make the most of the fat and the most of the lean. This was certain, that meat preserving and boiling down carried on together, would prove more profitable than either would do if carried f*2 separately. He would conclude by moving That the shareholders of the Wairarapa Boiling Down Company now present agree to transfer their interest in the company to any company that may be formed having for its 1 object the preservation and export of meat by ft ny process whatever on the premises belong»ng to the company, in the new company," and

that the secretary be requested to obtain the approval of absent shareholders to the resolution.

The resolution was seconded by Mr Bannister, put to the meeting, and carried unanimously. The meeting wss then adjourned until two o'clock on Monday, May Bth, when the auditors report will be presented. MEAT PRESERVING COMPANY. The meeting for discussing the question of the formation of a Meat Preserving Company under the Joint Stock Companies Act, was then constituted, the Hon. Gh M. Waterhouse in the chair. The Chairman read the advertisement calling the meeting, and said that he understood the meeting had not so much been convened for the purpose of considering the propriety of forming a meat preserving company, as they were all pretty well agreed with regard to that, as to consider what locality would be the best for the establishment of the works; whether in the valley or at the Hutt. His own personal feeling was in favor of their establishment in the Wairarapa, if practicable ; but, if found not practicable, he thought it would be desirable that they should be established somewhere else. Meat preserving operations in Australia had proved beneficial to stockowners, having raised the price of stock, on the average, 2s per head. When in Victoria, about eighteen months ago, he had visited, in company with the Hon. Matthew Holmes, of Oamaru, a meat preserving establishment, at which every information on the subject had been freely offered them by the overseer of the works. They ascertained that 551 b wethers, with the wool on, wore worth 12s 6d ; and that 8s per head was the price for similar wethers, exclusive of the fleece. A sheep weighing 501bs yielded 181bs tallow; but if the whole of the meat were turned to account it would only result in a loss of 2lbs of fat, as it would then yield 161bs tallow. He found that the Meat Preserving Company could not afford to give more than 14s per cwt for beef, and it was a question worth considering whether it would not prove more profitable to cure beef by the salting than by the tinned process. There was another point which should not be lost sight ot. Before the war the supply in England was greater than the demand ; during the war the demand was greater than the supply ; and now peace was concluded his own impression was that the demand would not be so brisk in England as it recently had been. But this might not be the case in France and Germany, where a different system of cookery prevailed, which rendered tinned meats more palatable than they were to Englishmen. The result of the war in France would be to develope a permanent demand for preserved meats ; but still he thought that in this colony it would be found more profitable to salt beef and pork than to preserve the former in tins. Before the gold diggings the ships which visited Australia always laid in a supply of salt provisions ; but those diggings had been fatal to that and other industries which were beginning to be developed ; besides, in Australia the climate was not suited for carrying on the curing of meat by the salting process, nor was the salt used suited for the purpose. Beef, for preserving in tins, would not realise more than ljd per lb ; but he thought that it would fetch at least 2d per lb if salted. If beef which would only realise in Holland and America 4d per lb when fresh, could be profitably salted, it would certainly pay to salt it here. Then there was an large demand for pickled pork by the shipping interest, and the question was whether they could not unite the three objects together, viz:—Boiling down for tallow, preserving mutton in tins, and salting beef and pork for export. He merely referred to these matters that the meeting might take into consideration. They had boiling down works, and the question was, he believed, whether meat-preserving works should not be amalgamated with them —or rather whether a meat-preserving company should not be established with which the present boiling down company could be amalgamated. He could only say, as a Wairarapa settler, that he would be happy to do his share in the formation of such a company. (Cheers.) Mr Beetham moved, and Mr Vennell seconded the following resolution : That the following gentleman be appointed to act as a committee for the formation of a company in the Wairarapa, having for its object the preservation and export of meat, by any process, wholesome, and also haying for its object the utilisation of the works of the Wairarapa Boiling Down Company, namely:— The Hon. Gh M. Waterhouse, H. Bunny, H. S. Wardell, Mr Lucena, S. Vennell, G- Beetham, H. Jackkson, V. Smith, and Gh Bennett, with power to add to their number. The Chairman suggested that a small committee would be found to be the best ; he also requested that his name might be taken from the list, as he had a strong objection to be placed on a committee and not do his share of the work, which he would not be able to do, for several reasons, one of which being his residing on the other side of the Ruamahunga. But, on being strongly urged by several speakers, the Chairman consented to act. Before the resolution was put a discussion ensued relative to the Meat Export Company, which was in the course of formation. Mr Mr C. Pharazyn said, that he with a number of other Wairarapa stock owners, had taken shares in that company, on the understanding that the place were the works should be established, would be left to be decided by the shareholders. The registered office of the company was to be at the Hutt : but that did not necessitate the works being there also. It was distinctly understoed that the shareholders would decide where the works should be carried on.

The Chaieman questioned whether even the registered office of the company should have been determined without the shareholders

being consulted on the point: The registered office of the company being fixed at the Hutt it followed that the Hutt would be its headquarters, and it could not be expected that settlers in the Wairarapa would go all the way to the Hutt to attend the meetings of the company.

Mr Wardell spoke strongly in favor of the works being carried on in connection with the present boiling down works; ami Mr Vennell pointed out that the whole rental and expenses here would not amount to £25 whereas the rental at the Hutt was fixed, as he understood, at £l5O per annum. Several speakers thought it would be better to buy the buildings at the Upper Hutt and remove them to the Wairarapa than ro have the meat preserving works there.

Mr Braithwaite denied that the company had yet decided where the works were to be established. Some of ths largest shareholders in the company were residents of the Wairarapa, and there were other large shareholders resident in Wellington. In fixing the registered office at the Upper Hutt they thought they should meet both parties half way. The shareholders would decide where the works should be established. They might fix on Wellington, Ngauranga, Petoni, the Upper Hutt, or the Wairarapa; the majority would determine the site.

Mr Beetham said thatMrßraithwaifce had promised not to register the company until the result of the present meeting became known j but he now understood this had been done. This was to say the least an act of discourtesy to those like himself anxious to see whether it was not practicable to form a company here. The adoption of that course made it appear that the proposed Wairarapa company would be started in opposition to the other, whereas all they wanted was to ascertain before that final step was taken whether the Wairarapa did not offer more facilities for the establishment of the proposed works than the site proposed. Mr Cox and Mr Cundy both spoke strongly in support of the resolution. The latter said that the boiling-down works had proved a benefit to the small as well as the large stockowner, and that still greater benefits would accrue if meat preserving was carried on in connection with it.

The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.

Mr A. Braithwaite said before the meeting separated he wished to observe that the promoters of the Export Meat Company never intended to fix on the locality for the works, and he could not take an expression by the present meeting as representing the opinion of the Wairarapa stockowners. Out of the 650 shares which had been taken up, 240'were taken by residents in the valley. He had been to Canterbury and had inspected the meat preserving works in that province. He had obtained from the Manager some valuable information, the most important of which, in its bearings on the present question was, that for such works to pay they must be carried out on a large scale ; hence his desire to establish a large company, whose operations should embrace the whole province. This could not be done if the works were established in the Wairarapa. Some further remarks were made by several speakers, when a vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting. There was a large attendance of settlers before the meeting concluded, and a great deal of interest was manifested in the proceedings by all present.