A GREAT OPENING.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1920, Page 2

A GREAT OPENING.

To the Editor. Sir,—When I saw how that stalwart amongst freezing men, Mr. J. C. Cooper (managing director of the Wellington Farmers' Meat Co., and to whom, In a similar capacity at Smart road. Taranaki people are deeply Indebted for the successful start of those works) satisfied his shareholders that there was big money for them In woollen mills, tanning, and soap making when combined with meat freezing, the raw material being available at first cost without freight charges or intervening profits, I said: "Here is the chance of a lifetime to start New Plymouth as a great manufacturing centre, provided the people rouse themselves out of their accustomed apathy,'and, like tho men of Masterton, take the tide at the flood that leads to fortune," and the money required being put up in the proverbial five minutes. Mr. Cooper is now booked to sail for England In April to buy machinery. Two farmers' companies working together control Smart road and Moturoa, but now, owing to shipping having overtaken cheese production, tho shelves are empty at Moturoa, and. In spite of an Increase In the charges, there is little prospect or the dairy companies getting a dividend this year, for as shipping increases, there will be no storage required, and no profits. Well, Sir, these two companies should amalgamate and all the freezing and cooling done at Smart road, where we have large stores for that purpose, £25,000 of the factories' money being invested therein, and Moturoa cool stores turned Into a woollen mill, tannery and soap works, so that everything that Is In the bye products from Smart road will go out for the shareholders, and It Is Armour's boast that it is from the iyo products the Meat Trust made its millions, the meat not paying its way. Probably nowhere else could such a proposition to make money be found and the live man of the Walkato would put this through In a few hours If they only had tho chance, for with hydro-electricity and the harbor at its back door, the output from Moturoa works—cloth, yarns, leather and soap, for which the whole world is dally demanding more and more, can easily compete with any other place in the two hemispheres. Another point, If a coal strike occurs, a compulsory union of the two companies would result, as it would be most unlikely that coa! could be got to run Moturoa and Smart road when the latter could do most of the work. I mentioned these proposals some time ago, but as Mr. Milne was leaving, and his successor had not been appointed. It lay In obeyance, but now that Mr. Cooper is going Home for the machinery, if s the project goes ahead, hl3 services must be secured. He Is a successful man, and it Is well to be associated with successful men. There is more money all round In Taranaki than Walrarapa, but we are not solng to get there by keeping it locked up in the bank or frightened to expand, and dairy companies know to their sorrow now how much they lost by not putting up the cash to allow the Box Company to take up the options of acquiring the freehold of their vast acreage, and I have no hesitation in saying.that If history repeats Itself and this proposal is turned down, then those raspdnplble should stl.-aire permanent chairs in a down-and-out club.—l am. etc., W. R. WRIGHT. Rahotu, Jan. 24.

P.S. —See whnt Friday's Dominion soys about this subject :—"New Zealanders will be foolish people if they go on Indefinitely sending their wool to Yorkshire and buying back the resultant cloth to the fabulous profit of the Yorkshire wool spinners. If there is one secondary industry in the country that can be profitably expanded it is woollen manufacturing That on ample margin of profit exists ts clearly shown by the eitraordlnary disclosures made In the inquiry into the profiteering In the Yorkshire wool trade Less abnormal conditions may prevail before long, but wages have gone up permanently in Britain, and the New Zealand manufacturer thus placed in a more advantageous position than of old. One combination of farmers has acquired its own steamer to curry its own produce to London. Perhaps soma other may go one belter and manufacture enough of Its wool Into cloth to oneet the whole of the needs of the local market."