FARMERS' CO-OPERATIVE MEAT FREEZING WORKS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9558, 3 August 1909, Page 6

FARMERS' CO-OPERATIVE MEAT FREEZING WORKS.

To the Editor. Sir, —If space permits perhaps you "will be able to insert [the following. Under this-heading an article appears in your issue of the 29th inst., signfed "Enthusiast." Having noted the many arguments set forth to advance establishing a Farmers' Co-operative "Works in the Wairarapa or elsewhere, I must confess some cf the statements forthcoming are very misleading. Indeed, "Enthusiast" goes on to say "that the farmers in Canterbury would not allow the buyers there in the yards twice if they did not take larger percentages of fats than they do here " The man at the cor aier must have been "pulling his leg." Canterbury sheepfarmers who breedand fatten stock for the freezing trade know their business thoroughly well. They have, in ;fact, educated themselves to the business. They will ask no fat buyer to go through their fats unless they are prime. The farmer has a pretty accurate knowledge of what he reasonably expects to go, in fact there is nu hitch whatever between buyer and farmer. !They both know thek business among fits at least. Again, we will instance tiae modus operandi of a great many North Isiand sheep farmers. A message is sent posthaste to the buyer ©f some of the Freezing Companies tu go through his fats. He ia not sure whether 50 or 1,000 are fit to go. He only knows the rudiments of his business. The poor buyer or company is blamed for being too light Hi his drafting. Canterbury U quoted for what they do there. The prime fats are in the Canterbury farmer's yards to pick, but in some of his Northern confrere's yards, absent. What I nave observed of the diafting of companies' buyers is this: they invariably take lambs and sheep that a Canterbury buyer would not look at, and give full value for them. I bave seen too much of Canterbury methods among fats to swallow "Enthusiast's" wild statement in this instance. The reason why Canterbury is holding the premier export position is this. Sheepfarmers have gone thoroughly into the freezing business; their supply of fats has been solidly kept the last twenty years to my knowledge; they have aimed at. quality arid succeeded; they have not rushed into dairy cows or pigs one season and sheep next ' The ewe flock has been kept well up with a class of ewes that has some influence as well as the sire towards the production of a freezer, and the steady uniform system of feeding has been always adhered to. Farmers again can just draft fats as well as any buyer, as can be proved at the Canterbury works. But many prefer to sell on the farm. The price is usually riyht, and no risk aa on their own account. I note Mr J. C. Cooper is credited by "Enthusiast" in making a very cltiveif rerhark. namely, "that there was not sufficient inducement to breed the beat quality atock." At present certainly not. Hut for some years back it has paid well for farmers to only breed the best; in fact it is no dearer in the long run to always breed first-class stuff, whether store or fat. Of course it is a big handicap to many farmers to successfully caterjfor the freezing trade when any old ewes and a black faced ram, and in many instances a mongrel ram, is used, and then they expect large drafts of fats, blame the buyer, biame anybody, and then to cap the lot, refer to Canterbury methods to finish up with.-—I am, etc., NEW CHUM.