WEST COAST REFRIGERATING COMPANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1916, Page 6

WEST COAST REFRIGERATING COMPANY.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual .cemeral meeting -if the West Coast Refrigerating Co., Ltd., was held at Patca on Wednesday. Representatives from the various >outh Taranaki companies attended. Captain Johnston occupied the chair. The annual report, inter alia, gave the following particulars:—As v:as anticipated in last year's report, there has been inevitable congestion, owing to war conditions, but 011 tlhe whole we consider that the way in which dairy produce has been got away has been very satisfactory. It must be recognised that the dairying industry, together with all other prime exporting industries, owes a deep debt of gratitude to the Allied navies, for without the navies' control of the seas there is no doubt the sea routes would have been practically blocked to oversea commerce, which would hiwc meant ruin to Taranaki at any rate, if not the whole farming community. Tile new reinforced concrete cheese store is now completed. It will have a storage capacity of close on 17,000 cases of cheese, which will approximately double our present storage space, and will, v.'c feel sure, prove a great boon to our shareholders. From the profits of the year it is proposed to pay 5 per cent, on paid-lip capital, in accordance with Article No, 1::4 of the Articles of Association, and aft:r providing for any extraordinary taxation that may be imposed due to war expenditure, the balance will be disposed of as provided by the above article.

The retiring directors, Messrs T. Bridge and A. C. IPease, were re-elected. Mr. E. C. Horner was again appointee} auditor. The following are the quantities of produce and frozen meat handled during the past season:— Dairy product.—Cheese shipped to London, 164,18S cases; cheese shipped to West of England, 22,310 cases; cheese in store awaiting shipment, 11,145 cases; total, 197,049 cases. Butter shipped to London, 12,037 botfes; butter shipped locally and in store, 1700 boxes; total, 14,638 boxes. Frozen Meat.—Sheep 3217 tons, lambs 2017 ton's, bacon goods 25 tons. The above represents a gross tonnage as follows:—Cheese, 16,317 tons, butter 430 tons, meat 193 tons; total, 10,940 tons. Comparing season l!)14-l-> .-with 191516, it is as follows: Gross tons handled 1915-16, 1(1,040; 1914-15, 14,047.5;; increase, 2902.5. As shown on a prepared chart, the season 1015-1910 lias been a record for the tonnage handled in any one year, also a record increase from one season to another. The total gross tonnage of all good®, including meat, was 16,940 tons, and for dairy produce alone 10,787 tons, winch represents a value for the latter of approximately £1,180,099, The chart referred to shows in graphic from the steady increase in the industry in South Taranaki from the time the works there were first started, in .1901, to June 31), 1916, and is a permanent rei cord of the increase t)he industry lias ! made in Taranaki. The figures for the wohle of Taranaki as revealed by the quantities reaeived at New Plymouth and Patea, arc as follows (not taking into account produce despatched direct from the factory <so local firms, which must be added.} :-a NEW PLYMOUTH. Butter 152,742 Boxes Cheese ra,:... ia i 11<i,240 Cases Value Butter nnoinxngta r £534,573 Cheese ,• .-.ajT- !£'697,2rffl | £1,232,053 I PATEA. Butter .....14.037 Boxe& Cheese 197,049 Cases Value Butter '£40,017 1 Cheese '£1,136,473 J i ■» i £1,183,089 A grand total ot .1:2,415,144. The above amount, as far as Pat'eft' works is concerned, represents the produce from nineteen dairy company.