WHICH IS BEST?

Taihape Daily Times, 19 September 1918, Page 4

WHICH IS BEST?

A rather important pomt was touched upon in ihc annual report of the Freezing Works Directors, ana the same point was discussed at the annual meeting, held yesterday morning The question formulated hy Mr. J. Bartosh at the meeting was, which is most advantageous to the Company, that farmers should sell outright at so much per head or pound, or whether they should freeze on their own account. It is obvious that in freezing on their own account the last element in speculation is eliminated, and the farmer gets, at least, scheduled value, but it is conclusively shown that he gets very much more than schedule value. 'Anyway, full value is assured, and no go-between services have to be paid for. It is obvious that the meat trust buyer who comes to barter a price, to put his trained buying proclivities against those of the farmer, has to be paid for out of the sheep he buys. Therefore, a higher pricw may be forthcoming at one time but in two others it must be less, 'whether the fact is noticed or not. It is true economy to remove as much as possible all intermediate profit-making, as exemplified in the establishment and rapid growth of various farmers’ trading institutions, such as co-operative stock-selling, distributing companies, and other trading concerns whlcn have all come into existence to eliminate intermediate profits previously taken by middlemen. Sooner or later farmers will all realise that it is to their best interests to freeze in their own works and on their own account; then all the profits must be theirs simply because they have no middlemen to pay. From every point of view the course farmers are taking in bringing producer and consumer as close together as possible must work out to the supreme advantage Ji of both. It can be said without fear of valid contradiction that the owners cf the Taihape Freezing Works are building up a means of securing at all times, and in all years, the best possible returns for their stock, besides conserving , the huge dividends for themselves that they would have provided for speculatng shareholders In other companies. Further, they are creating an increased value of every acre of land in their respective holdings, By freezing on their own account in their own works they sidetrack every vestige of gambling and speculation; they do not get what a smart buyer may agree to pay them, but the full, actual value in addition to building up a source of further revenue, in the shape 'of dividends, in the future, a future that will be nearer according to the volume of loyal support that is forthcoming. Every farmer freezing onTils own account during the past year received a rebate of three pence per head on his sheep and lambs, and five shillings per head on cattle; the total amount of rebate allowed being no less than £BOO.