THE WELLINGTON FARMERS' FREEZING WORKS SITE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9579, 28 August 1909, Page 5

THE WELLINGTON FARMERS' FREEZING WORKS SITE.

To the Editor,

Sir, —In your issue dated 24th inst.. there appears a letter signed "Observer." Before I start to reply I must ask him to do that which he advises rue to do, "take off those spectacles with Masterton written so thickly across them." If he will oruy do that he will be able to read a sentence through and then perhaps he will understand it; that is when he refers to the end and practically the centre of the district. Now, for his guidance I will write it again and bracket it: —(The end and practically the centre of a district that ssnt away last year 190,000 sheep and lambs,, besides cattle and pigs). ' Now it i* the end of our railway in Wairarapa, and is still the centre of a district that sent away the above quotations. I know the Waingawa site well, and ahc Woodside, and I still maintain the Pigeon Bush site is the one for the works. He refers to Mr Lead ley's letter. Now, if he will look up tha "Wairarapa Daily News" and read the report of a meeting held in Martinborough a few months back on the above works, he will see the main part of the articles referred to. Then again, he refers to the rejects and population, and quotes Masterton and Carterton against Featherston, for the evidently thinks it the last ,own south. I will go a little fur;her to prove Pigeon Bush is the one lite, for if it was established there ve could have Featherston, Greytown, Carterton, and cot forgetting Masterton with its large population, ;aking the rejects 0.1 the north, and ve would also have Wellington on ;he south with a much larger popular ion than he has quoted to take the •ejects, so that that gives the works, f situated there, a much larger icope to work on. "Observer" re:ers to Featherston as a dairying iistrict, but he forgets that Wai•arapa ha 3 proved itself the best :attening district. We also have arger runhoiders, be3ides dairy farners, to help to feed the works. He ilso refers to the meat companies. Sow, I chink those companies would rery much iike this company to ac:ept Waingawa site, and then Pigeon 3ush would do for their works, for is I said before, when the stock eaves the iarm, taking them as f.->r us Woodvillp, th3y are coming down he line to the seaport, having the vorks at Pigeon Bush. The people lorth get the benefit of the railv vy, which id nearly all level traveling. The farmers south-east of featherston have about three days' Iriving before they reach a railvay line. He wants them to be •ailed to Masterton as a near route ;o Wellington, so the works at Waiigawa is not suitable. I can well inderstahd "Observer, ' for ho j vould like ever? local industry in Masterton. They are doing their jest to crush the Cartertcn Show. He ilso wants the bacon factory there, ind I suppose he would like the :heese factories in Carterton shifted ;o Masterton, I might state if the jopulation he quotes consumes all ,he titbits he quoted, hesides the ■e'edts that will go through these works, they are evidently prepared ;o beat Wellington, fur they can :he tongues. l'ejects are not all bruised; some are a bad colour, and in most cases grown lung?. Hoping "Observer" will understand this time. We will know by the 10th of next month where the works are to be situated. —I am, etc.,

. A RESIDENT. Featherston, August 2(5,

To the Editor. Sir. —Pardon me for again adverting to the above topic. My excuse must be that I feel that the establishment of freezing works in the W airarapa. and the selection o£ the beet possible site upon which to erect them, is ol the utmost importance to the whole district. For the benefit cf the public, and "A Resident, who wrote under date of August 19th from Featherston, and whose letter you published on> the 2Srd inst, and who endeavoured to impress upon your readers that Pigeon Bush is at one and the same time "the end and practically the centre" of the district, and the most .suitable location for the works, I append figures culled from the official "Annual Sheep Returns, April 30th, 1908," the latest available, showing the actual number of stock depasturing ir. each county,

and from whicn it is presumed sheep could be drawn, viz.: Featherston County 467,001 South Wairarapa County 185,192 652,193 Masterton County 560,998 Castlepoint County 170,273 Akitio County 196,508 Eketahuna County 82.576 Mauriceville County 68,173 Pahiatua County 228,982 1,307,570 From the number returned irom the South Wairarapa, in all fairness should be deducted quite 100,000 sheep depastured from Flat Point to Kaiwhata, and inland from here, including Te Wharau, part of Wainuioru, Gladstone, and on proparties adjacent to the Waingawa river. With this deduction the figures work out thus for the southern portion of the district: —

Featherston County 467,001 Part South Wairarapa 85,192 Total 552,193 Maaterton and Northern Counties 1,307.570 Add quota deducted from South Wairarapa 100,000 Total 1,407,570 The numbers show a balance of 855,377 in favour of the northern part of the district. Nothing is allowed in this estimate for stock, which may, and uncloubtedjy will, be procured from the southern portions of Hawke's Bay. It is to be hoped that the above figures will assist in clearing "A Resident's" mind as to which is the most central and suitable spot for the works. In conclusion let me add that a point in favour of a local site, like Wairgawa, as against Wellington, Is the fact than the manure products could be' supplied at a less cost to the farmer on account of lower railway freight from the former.— I am, etc., FARMER.