PROPOSED SLAUGHTERING AND BUTCHERING COMPANY IN WAIKATO.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1570, 27 July 1882, Page 2

PROPOSED SLAUGHTERING AND BUTCHERING COMPANY IN WAIKATO.

A meeting of settlers and others interested in the above matter was held at Ohaupt, on Tuesday afternoon last, shortly after the cattle sale. The meeting was a i fairly representative one, about 40 settlers being present, arid the chair was occupied by Mr Germann. The Chairman, in opening the meeting, said he was sorry there were not more, gentlemenpresentiotakeaninterestinsuch an important matter,. as it, was one which iaeyery sense affected the 'welfare' 'Of^U'e

district. t i4t' was a nutter which concerned them all, and he should be very glad to see the scheme properly taken up, thoroughly looked into, and carried out if possible. There were gentlemen present, who, he believed, were prepared to lay the matter more fully before them, and whom he would now call upon. Mr Roche said, before coming into the room he had drawn up a resolution which he thought would meet the 'views of most of the gentlemen 'present, particularly those interested in ..the^matttr- be- •■ «■ fore the meeting. As they were all aware, the object which ,they hljT in view was one which concerned the future welfare of the district, tg.no^Jtagqnsider— able extent. The resoiufioSnfie would propose was " That in the opinion of this meeting, owing to the low price farmers receive in the market for s their 'beef, without any diminution hi price' to tha consumer, the time ,has now arrived when it is desirable to establish a slaugh-ter-house on a large scale in some central place in Waikato, and retail shops connected therewith in Auckland, the whole " "1 to be carried out by a company, <•■ on the joint stock principle." He had' spoken to many on the matter, but some, seemed to throw cold water on the idea^ whilst others had expressed themselves highly favourable to it. Unquestionably it was a matter of vital importance to all of them, because it affected their interests very directly indeed. Hitherto they had been selling their beef at a loss, and in this he believed the farmers present would bear him out. In Ohaupo and Auckland beef had been selling from 12s Gel to 18s and £1, and so far as he could see it could not possibly pay the farmers to sell at that price. Now, if a scheme such as that under consideration was properly carried out, it would pay the farmers well. According to the latest market quotations, 3d to 6d was paid for boiling meat, and 8d for steak. Now, if they took the present price the farmers got for their meat and compare* it with what the butchers get for it when retailed in Auckland, they would find there was a very great margin of profit to the retailer ; in fact, £8 or £9 on each bullock sold. The average price the farmer got for his meat in the Auckland market was 18s the lOOlbs, and the price realised by the retailer was certainly not much under 425, thus giving a profitable difference to the latter of about 24s for each lOOlbs j or in all about £S 10s a bullock. According to past experience, the farmer fattened his bullock in the spring, and the price ho received for it when fat was anything but encouraging. He himself bad lost 5s a-ewt on cattle lately, and could not see how the farmers were to get on in this way. Now if the scheme proposed were carried out, lie believed the farmers would get a good profit for their meat. A company could be formed, and the dead meat sent to town and sold in their own (the company's) shops. The company could agree to pay the farmer, say 20s in summer, and 25s in winter, and this, he believed, would give the farmer a good profit, and the shareholders a fair dividend. In fact, the farmer might be able to get 30s for his meat all round. Again, the reduction in the price of meat would increase the consumption. Several objections had been raised to the scheme. It was said that the freezing process now coining into vogue in the colonies would require that all meat should be slaughtered at the port (that is, all for exportation), but, leaving the Home market out of the question, would they not have the Auckland market to supply. He had no objection to the butchers making a profit, but when the butcherswere making large profits, and the farmers losing proportionately largely, it was near time something was dove. And if they did not do something immediately, they would discover that they were working their farms at a ruinous loss. He believed Ngaruawahia to be the most central place in the district, and the most favourable for the site of the proposed business, though he himself personally would rather see it at Ohaupo. However, it was a matter of the greatest good for the greatest number. Ngaruawahia was at the junction of both rivers, and was on the railway, and consequently in a better position to command the Waipa and Raglan trade. Again, it was necessary to have a good combination. From what he could gather, in fact he was justified in making the statement, he believed about 2000 shares would be taken up immediately. If the beef were killed at Ngaruawahia, it could be put in trucks specially fitted up for the purpose, and be in the Auckland market next morning. He had seen a quotation in the papers the other day that beef was at 26s in the Auckland market, but had since been assured that it was only bringing 20s. A fellmongery was about to be erected at Ngaruawahia, which was another consideration in making that town their place of business. It had been said farmers in Waikato were thinking of growing grain, and there would, therefore, be no necessity for an extensive company such as that proposed, but he believed Waikato would always be a cattle-raising district. In some parts of England the farmers killed their cattle about 200 miles from the London market, and were not subservient to the city butchers ; and why, therefore, should Waikato farmers be subservient to Auckland butchers? (Hear, hear.) They had a railway at their doors, and why not utilise it? It was for the meeting if they thought proper to elect a committee to enquire into the matter and report at a subsequent meeting, Mr Steele supported Mr Roche. He thought the meeting was greatly indebted to him for the able manner in which he had brought the matter forward. It was for those present to say which line of action they should now pursue. By slaughtering their bullocks in Waikato they would be able to save freight to Auckland, for, instead of sending eight bullocks as hitherto in a truck, they could send twelve. Then they had the offal, hides, and fat, which would be another source of profit, and again, they would have a small industry among them, which was another important consideration. Considering that the scheme would materially benefit the people of Auckland, he believed they would take an active part in the matter. It was now time for them to consider their own interests and unite in a company to forward what they believed to be for their benefit. He would recommend that they advertise for a suitable site, say of 100 acres, and thus secure a basis. There could be no danger of loss in such a step, as the land would still fetch what they paid for it. Even if there ««* were no shops in Auckland, if the meat \ were slaughtered in Waikato and sold - > by auction at Auckland they would soon know a difference in their favor. In Sydney a commissariat steamer plied up and down the Paramatta river, cringing down slaughtered cattle from the upcountry districts. This meat was sold by auction on tiie wharf, and was bonpHt/by boarding-house keepers, stewards of vessels, and others at a good price.' 'He had much pleasure in seconding Mi* Roches motion. — The resolution was then put to - the meeting and carried unanimously. < rA committee consisting of s Messrs Roche, Steele, T. Y. Fitzpatrick, Frazer (Ngaruawahia), Rutherford, , Jones, Limmer (Whatawbata), John Scott, John Hutchinson, and F. Hicks, was appointed to. enqnire into the' matter, and report at a subsequent meeting to be held ' that '.day* fortnight „ ,' f " / - J * This t^rminaWd the' 'meeting, IJ ' ■