THE AUCKLAND FREEZING COMPANY (LIMITED).

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1608, 24 October 1882, Page 2

THE AUCKLAND F RE E ZING COMPAN Y (LIMITED).

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — In my last letter on the above subject, in leplyingto Mr Banks, I stated that the directors were in communication with practical men, and that I would in a few nays be able to place before the public further data, and as I am now in leceipt of several letters bearing on the matter, I will give as much of them as will be of use to us -m dealing with the question. The letters will be read at the next meeting on Tuesday, and any person wishing may see them. The first one is from Mr Wales, of the firm of Mason and Wales, architects, Dunedin. Mr Wales was sent by the Dunedin Company to Australia to get all information, and then designed and supei intended the election of the woiks, He says, "one shipment of S3oolbs lias been sent away, anil we are now busy freezing for another shipment of about the same number to be sent in November. Our works cost in all about £12,000, including 20 acres ot land ■which cost £S0 per acre, and a railway siding which cost £1000 The buddings piopcr cost about £5000, this includes slaughter-house, cattle and sheep pens. We can store about 5000 carcases of frozen mutton, and we can freeze about 300 carcases mutton per day. Provision is about to bs made for more storage room (by additional building) for about .1000 more caroiscs>, so tlntashipmontof 10,000 carcases may be dispatched without detaining a ship in port more than three or four days. Our machine is by Pfaslam and Co., Derby, England ; for the additions it is iv contemplation to try a Bcll-Coleman machine. The Haslam machines make a areat deal of snow, the air boxes have to bo cleaned out every few hours, whereas the Bell-Coleman generates very little snow. Our machine blows 40,000 cubic feet of cold air per hour." He says fiuthcr : "If I mny offer advice as to whereabouts of the works I should say have them erected if possible on the bank of a running sti earn, so that a full supply of good fiesh water can be got by gravitation— they should lie as near the port of shipment as possible, and connected by siding with the railway, and the slaughtering and freezing should be together. Some are of opinion that owneis should kill their own, and send the carcases to be fro/cn — the freezing depot to bo alongside the ship -I think this a mistake— the less handling the carcase gets the better." From another letter— A copy fiqm the agent of the Bell-Coleman machine, I will give you a few extracts, as it is too long for publication ;— " The price of one of our 40,000 cubic feet machines i.s £1000. The estimated horse - power is indicated 30 if. P. at minimum, and 80 at maximum speed. The coal consumption, working with SOlbs steam, is from !)0 to 2lOlbs per hour — say half a ton per day— it would keep a depot of about one thousand tons space under 30" ; its meat free/ing equivalent is equal to 12 tons meat solid per 21 hours ; it requiies 2000 gallons of water per hour for cooling compressed air."' Peimit me, Mr Editor, to add a few words. Mr Banks gave the cost of the Oiange establishment at £50,000. You will observe the Dunedin works cost only £12,000, including everything, mid you will admit the cost of sending a practical man to Australia to get information mu&t have been considerable. Now. witli more expciience in such matters, I have no doubt the same works could be put up for much loss money. We have offers of 100 acres of grass in Waikoto at £30 per annum, and, I presume, a site could be had on the reclaimed ground in Auckland, near the railway station, at about £I,~)0 to £200 per year. Allowing 5 sheep to equal one bullock in bulk, the Dunedin works would hold about 1000 carcases of beef, and were wj in Auckland to erect woiks to begin with, to hold 500 carcases boef, and as many sheep, and also peiibhable commodities, daily pro duce, &c. I should say asum of from £0000 to £8000 would more than pay for them. The Orange Fieezing Company we were told met with disaster. It must be icmembcred that the climate there is less favourable than ours, and the railway a veiy difficult one, 140 miles running zigzag over the lunges or mountains, and | yet with all their difficulties this company paid in dividends last year the enormous s>mn of £25,000. Granting that Napier and Wellington succeed m their enterprise, and that we would therefore not have ship cattle to contend with, I hold that with a freezing chamber we could equalize the pi ice more and with less labour and expense to the farmer. "When our cattle are fat in Februaiy or Maich, the end of the season coming on and grasses disappearing, there is a regular rush of fat cattle to the market, and the result is that beef is almost unsaleable. Iv such cases a fret zing company could step in and secure the quantities not required for immediate consumption and freeze them and hold them for vessels calling at our port or for sale in winter When the markets were bare. I think the beef could be held cheaper in the freezing ohamher than in our paddocks on artificial food.— l am, &c, P. C. Gbrmaxx. Paterangi, October 20th, 1882.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir -Noticing Mr Banks' letter on the Auckland Meat Freezing Company, I have a few facts which I would' call upon Mr Banks to explain (if able). I sent three trucks of sheep a short time ago to Auckland, to Messrs Hunter and Nolans, for sale, part of which they sold at Us 6d ,to 13s 6d, and said 8s 6d was the* most they could got for the balance. I rcfu3ed,.to sell at that price, and -brought a double Struck 'back "to" tihanpb" on 'a Saturday, sold them on the following Tuesday at 13s. The purchaser sent down a top tier next week to, Auckland, and sold them »t lfjs 9d, and the balance at home at 14s_ . WillMf Banks explain to.mc why the Apcklamil market .variesas^o prioe'ao lijuoh in a we'elt or two ? IJ; so, ab ? much' the" m&e nee'il 'for' '^'freezing compauyto keep in check such varia'-" tipns. If not.attriljated to the variation/ o£ the market, then, the,! stratagem ,

chase' Waikato and other outside products at considerably below the actual market value, which still proves the actual necessity for some such scheme or plan as the present company to keep in check the avaricious auxiety for gain that the butchers in Auckland exhibit. I say, let every settler, whether mechanic or farmer, support the present movement, which is in the right direction, that is to say, put their hands in their pockets and take from 30 shares upwards, and then when we help ourselves you will see very soon a great many Banks wishing to shake hands with us. Sir, my case is only one. I have no doubt but many others sell at what they can get when in Auckland, but it paid me to pay freight back, and perhaps it would others if they could spare it to bring their stock and sheep back again. Now, sir, as these facts prove that sometiling is wrong, we want a winding-up key, which is the meat refrigerating plan, which will keep Mr Banks and others wound up to strike truly. Excuse my taking up so much space in your valuable paper, but as my case is a matter of fact, which I can prove through a very respectable settler, I thought it haul to let it sleep when I. saw capital and might endeavouring to swamp one of the best schemes ever propounded for the benefit of the settlers of the Waikato or Auckland Province. 1 The settlers of the Waikato should take a leaf out of the Ofcago settlers' book. They now hold the key of the market of Dunedin, having brought the London market alongside of it, thanks to King Frost and their own energy. I had a letter three days ago from a friend connected, with the frozen meat company there, stating that in a few' days two ships are to"arrive "there to load with frozen meat for London, and their cargoes are already provided by the shareholders of the company. One of the vessels will carry 8000 sheep. Part of the ' cargo is bought at 2^l per lb. and skins paid for besides, or you can scud on your own risk and get the proceeds in full ' after sale. They are not bound by the butchers of Dunediu ; they have the London market alongside. If the settlers of Waikato pull together, we will soon have the same thing in Auckland, = and when the London" market is placed" contiguous to the Queen-street wharf, then the settlers will have the key of the Auckland cattle and sheep market in their own hands, and be able to compel Messrs Banks & Co. and others* to give fair prices all the year round. As to Mr Banks' assertion that the Auckland province could not produce sufficient for the city of Auckland, neither Mr ' Banks or any other m m knows how much can be produced till we get fair payable prices. Then, instead of the farmer with one or two hundred acres sending a few sheep and a few head of cattle to market, we shall have men sending hundreds off the same land by artificial feeding, by turnips, &c, and then the land will be improved, and good crops of wheat will follow, and land which is now a drug in the market will attain a greater value, the result of a certain and remunerative market for the industrious farmer's produce. — I am, tec. Equity. Ohaupo, 20th October.