TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3159, 10 April 1909, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

At the meeting of delegates held at Woodville on Wednesday last in reference to the establishment of co-operative freezing works, the Chairman stated that when the Longburn Company started some twenty years or so ago the freezing industry was in its infancy. At that time at Homejthere was" a prejudice against frozen meat so strong that only those who could not afford -to buy fresh meat went in for it. Now the position was quite different. Population was rapidly increasing. The people of Switzerland had decided to buy our frozen meat and he saw no reason why the vast industrial class of Germany should not follow. The present price of frozen meat was low, but he had no doubt that it would re-act greatly in the favour of those who were interested in the trade in the future. last season thousands and thousands of stock were fattened and could the farmers have realised at the time they would have been much better off than they were to-day. The works at present in existence were not sufficient to deal with the production of stock which was rapidly increasing. The raising of stock was our chief industry and the present companies were not going to that more capital to extend their business so as o deal with the increasing trade. They were going to do it out of profits and thos; profits were going to come out of the pockets of farmers. He did not sae any reason why this should continue. In Canterbury and Gisborne the works were run by the farmers and were eminently successful.