CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 246, 26 March 1915, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

FA RMERS' 'jCO-OPfeRATrVE. FRETTING WORKS.' , v :

i(To the Editor.)

Sir,—There is no doubt the movement for a farmers' .co-operative freezing works is a step in the right direction. The course of events during, not onlv the current season, but previous one-;, have proved that. But there also is no doubt the new -works will have to meet the strongest competition. Messrs. Borthwiek. and Sons may be expected to bid strongly the local trade, and, by reason of their wealth, organisation and English connections, they hold just about all the trumps—save one. It is to be hoped that the farmers will not play that one into their hands also. The Waitara works have to ship all their produce over a bar harbor, by the slow and expensive method of barging, to a ship standing in the roadstead, and subject to the vagaries of the weather. All their requirements inwards must also come either by rail or in little "tubs" over the same bar. The " experts " might well be asked to calculate the cost of so doing. The farmers have the opportunity of establishing their works right alongside of a deep-water port. Mr. King, who does not speak at random, assured the Stratford meeting that the harbor would be ready before the works can be started, and, coupling his statement with other more <m less official pronouncements by the' Harbor Board, the fact may be taken as established.' Get the works started, and the boats will come in right enough. One wonders how the matter can be debated at all. .It should be self-evi-dent that the proper position for such works is as close to deep water as possible, whatever difficulties may have to be overcome. How much more is it so when in place of difficulties we have many advantages. I am told a site comprising about 40 acres, on the high ground at Moturoa, can be obtained on lease from the Harbor Board at a very low rental. I presume at Lepperton or Inglewood land would have to be purchased; so here is an advantage at once in the conservation of a much-needed portion of the Bmall capital which will be available for a start. Then think of the gain in handling the produce. At any inland site there must be a double handling—off trucks into the works, and out of the works into insulated vans, and so to the ship's side (where it will, indeed, have to be handled once more). This involves exposure, variations of tomperatufc, etc. —just the sort of thing we complain about when we bear of it happening in London. At Moturoa, .on the other hand, the site of the works, being elevated the meat can be gravitated, by covered-in' tramway,' slioot or aerial, directly into the ship's hold. Coal and other requirements inwards can ho handled with the Bame economy of effect, going by aerial directly into the company's bunkers or stores. Here is an advantage the importance of which cannot be to o greatly stressed, and which surely no business man will be ' found to dispute. Going on to other aspects, lam told the expert objected to the sand. But there is no insuperable difficulty in that. There is comparatively little sand at Moturoa. At .Wanganui the freezing works are built in and on sand, hundreds of acres of sand. Yet one does not hear it complained about. And when a rival company was started a , year or two ago the site it chc;e was j on the sand on the opposite side of the river. Some years earlier, works had been started at Aramoho (nearer the sea than Lepperton, and having the advantage of water carriage as well as rail). They failed, and the new opposition did not repeat that mistake. They got as near to the sea as possible. Then as to water and drainage. There is water on the Moturoa site, and, if that, is- not enough, the town 1 supply is available, as the pipes are laid right down to Moturoa. Drainage can be carried at once into the sea, and the wide, clean ocean with the inhabitants thereof will do the rest. No water, rights to buy; no riparian pwncrs to claim for pollution or deprivation of water. Then, as to holding paddocks, there is any amount of good grass land right alongside, and I should think it can be got cheaper, too, than any Lepperton land. In fact, it U difficult to see. what advantages the proposed inland sites have over the Moturoa one, unless it be that southern producers will not have so far to send their stock; but the extra distance to Moturoa is so very small that stock already on the trucks will not bo injured by going all the tear. The only advantage, then, is to those who are near enough to drive their stock right into the works. But that is a thing which cuts two ways. I presume stock will come from around the coast. Works at Lepperton will mean an extra drive for them, and it must be remembered that they cannot be trucked, while those down the line can be if necessary. The conclusion, therefore, is that the Moturoa site is an almost ideal one, and certainly possesses many advantages over those suggested inland.

I should like now to advert to another matter. It has been hinted or suggested that Now Plymouth investors could, if necessary, find a portion of the capital. Of course they could, and, what is more, they should. Every business man in New Plymouth should be prepared to take up shares. They will probably get good interest on their money, but even if they donated it they would still be doing good business. New Plymouth has the chance of its lifetime. Freezing works at Moturoa spells great things for the town. To begin with, they will most certainly turn the scale in favor of direct shipping to and from the port, and that, of course, will mean the attraction of large quantities of butter, wool and other produce, .which, is now shipped through other ports, and also of large quantities of freight now coming into the country through those other pc-rtsr It means ! also great saving of cost, both inward and outward, and that will, of course, result in further stimulation of trade. Then think of the scores of employees and their dependents circulating •perhaps thousands of pounds monthly, all in the town. Think of the benefit to other businesses (building,.for instance), and the reaction of one upon another, most assuredly resulting in the attraction of additional population, and so on. What a lift this additional population at Moturoa and all its ramifying effects will give to the tramway service which so many are dubious about! I should think New Plymouth investors would be indeed willing to help. They ought to bo prepared to go to very considerable lengths to help the scheme and put the thing securely on its feet, and they ought to "get busy" and help all they can right away. Further, if any of them think this is hyperbole let them go for a trip with their eyes open.

I apologise, air, for the already great length of tliis letter, hut I should lileo to add a few words of personal explanation. I do not sign my name to this letter: vow Itnow it, and that ia (ill that is required. But, lest any parishpump person should think that the dcepI water alte ia here advocated, through

interest, I should like to explain Hktff% I hold land quite close to one of fhiirj proposed inland sites. I should oe.,dei'2 lighted to see freezing works erepts||| near my farm, but, even from the inofSfs selfish standpoint, a successful concernS at Moturoa is obviously of niore usft'ttffl me than a failure in my own —[ am, etc., '-©ll FARMHte3||