On the Land

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 194, 5 November 1927, Page 25 (Supplement)

On the Land

Founded on Failure

THE FREEZING INDUSTRY Trials of Pioneers FEW commercial ventures have brought about greater proportionate financial losses to their promoters than the freezing industry. Yet the development of the pastoral countries of the southern hemisphere has been due solely to the efforts of these pioneers. In view of the reports of the unsatisfactory position of many farmers’ freezing concerns in New Zealand and Australia to-day a brief review of the doings of some of the early pioneers in the trade would be of interest.

QPEAKING of conditions ruling in Canterbury prior to 1883 Mr. John Cooke, one of the promoters of the Christchurch Meat Company, stated: I remember seeing shorn sheep sold by the score because the price was so low that they had hardly any value per head. This was true in regard to sheep in all parts of the Dominion at certain periods up to the establishment of freezing. Deprived of their wool they were of little value. The only factor which helped to maintain the market for stores was the increasing area coming under grass and the need for more stock. In periods of drought it was not uncommon for cull sheep to be destroyed and buried or even left to rot. In Australia and the Argentine similar conditions prevailed, though in those countries the position was more acute in regard to cattle. A figure which stands out prominently among all the pioneers and experimenters in the trade is that of Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, the founder of the well-known Australian firm now conducted under the style of Golds-

brough Mort and Company. ITe spent a lifetime in carrying out experiments and died, after spending a fortune of £ SO,OOO and £20,000 advanced by squatters, a disappointed and broken man.

In 1861 at Darling Harbour, Sydney, Mr. Mort is claimed to have established the first freezing

works in the world. About 1876 the sailing ship Northam was chartered for the first trial shipment. With the meat on board a leakage occurred in the ammonia pipes and the meat had to be discharged. This was the end of the venture and shortly afterwards Mr. Mort died. James Harrison was another Glas-gow-Australian, who spent the best part of a lifetime and lost a fortune in an attempt to send a cargo of fresh meat round the world. As a result of successful experiments on the land, 20 tons of beef and mutton were loaded on the specially fitted out steamship Norfolk, which sailed from Melbourne in July, 1873. The tanks leaked and when the meat arrived in London it was unsaleable. It was early in 1880 that the efforts of Henry, later Sir Henry, Bell resulted in the first successful shipment of Australian meat finding its way on to the London market. He, in partnership with J. J. Coleman, of Glasgow, under the style of the BellColeman Mechanical Refrigeration Company, had previously carried out successful experiments in chilled beef shipments from America. Credit for being responsible for bringing the first partially successful shipment of frozen meat through the tropics is due to a Frenchman, Charles Tellier, scientist and engineer. He invented an ammonia-absorption plant as early as 1859, and a compression plant in 1867. His first effort at shipping meat from Uruguay, financially supported by Francisco Lecouq, of Montevideo, in 1868 failed. An attempt by a French company in 1876 with a vessel fitted out with Tellier’s plant was only partially successful, the meat having an unpleasant flavour. Several other attempts with the same vessel were carried out and

a considerable amount of money spent., but nothing worth while resulted. For the first entirely successful shipment to cross the tropics the credit goes to the French again, a company of Marseilles experimenters being responsible in 1878 for 5,500 carcases of mutton landing in perfect condition at Havre. It was partly as a result of the success of this shipment that led to Queensland squatters in co-operation with Henry Bell arranging the first successful shipment from Australia on the Strathleven which left Melbourne in December. 1879. This gave the Industry In Australia its first great boost and led to the establishment of most of the early companies. Queensland’s first attempt received a serious setback by a disastrous fire at the works just as the consignment was ready for shipment. Other serious setbacks finally resulted in the company going into liquidation. Enough for overseas, however. It was on December 7, 1881 that the first

frozen sheep ever loaded from New Zealand shores were stowed on board the S.S. Dunedin at Port Chalmers. A fracture of the engine shaft on December 11 was responsible for the meat all having to be unloaded. It was disposed of on the local market. Thus New Zealanders were the first to sample a product which was to mean much in the history of the Dominion. The vessel was finally got away on February 11 and the meat landed in London during May in excellent condition.

Credit for the organising and financing of the shipment was due to the general manager of the New Zealand and Australian Land Coy., W. S. Davidson, but Thomas Brydone, the Company’s New Zealand superintendent, was the driving force behind the experiment and he it was who carried out all the New Zealand arrangements. A Bell-Coleman plant was used. The shipment comprised 3,521 sheep and 449 lambs belonging to the Land Company, and 939 sheep belonging to "outsiders.”

Another sailer, the Marlborough, was next engaged and the two vessels each took Home about half a dozen cargoes. Tragedy awaited them, however. While still in the trade for the Land Company the vessels left these shores within six weeks of one another, never to be heard of again. The possibilities of the trade had been proved, however, and it was then only a short step to the establishment of meat freezing works in various parts of New Zealand. Dunedin led the way, and in 1881 the New Zealand Refrigerating Company erected works at Burnside.

In the above resume can be seen some of the difficulties met with and the sacrifices made by those who made the present prosperity of New Zealand, Argentine and Australia possible.

“Founded on failure” fitly describes our greatest industry. Since ISSO it has never looked back. Losses have certainly been made since, but these, in practically every instance, can be placed at the door of faulty organisation or lack of foresight. Rob New Zealand of its freezing industry to-day and you sound its financial death-knell.

CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS AT AUCKLAND SHOW

PROPOSALS TO WITHDRAW COMPROMISE MADE Yesterday afternoon the Auckland A. and P. Association decided to adhere to its original intention to award North Island Championships at the forthcoming show. The champ ionships originally allotted to Friesians, Ayrshires and Romneys were withdrawn. \FR. J. P. KALAUGHER was responsible for the discussion. He moved that the words “North Island” be deleted in every instance and the word “Metropolitan” substituted. The Auckland Association, said Mr. Kalaugher, had no right to allocate New Zealand championships. That right was in the hands of the breed associations. If the society adhered to its decision it would make itself* ridiculous in the eyes of other associations and would do a considerable amount of harm. Mr. A. A. Swaffield, in seconding the motion, said that the society had made a mistake and it should be rectified. Mr. H. E. Grierson said that to back out now would make the society appear more ridiculous than ever. He moved as an amendment that only the three championships objected to, the Friesians, Ayrshires and Romneys, be deleted. Mr. W. F. O’Donnell said that since ; the original motion was carried it had been found that three societies had already allotted championships for the present season. These were the Friesian, Ayrshire and Romney Associations. There were fifteen other championships on the society’s schedule to which no prior claim had been established, however, and it seemed that these should be maintained. Mr. Grierson said that as no other society had provided for the championships he did not see why the society should withdraw.

Mr. G. R. Hutchinson said the society’s position was not an enviable one. The society had made a promise which it would be hard to withdraw. For this year, he contended, it would be better to let the original motion stand.

Mr. Kalaugher said that to call the awards New Zealand championships would be simply farcical. The Friesian Association would not allow one of its members to claim the title of North Island championship awarded by the Auckland Association under such conditions. It would be quite in order to change the titles to Metropolitan championships. The amendment was carried by eight votes to six. On the motion of Mr. A. W. Perkins it was decided to write to the various breed associations notifying them of championships and asking for their co-operation in ensuring the success of the venture.