THE MEAT FREEZING INDUSTRY.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1705, 9 June 1883, Page 2

THE MEAT FREEZING INDUSTRY.

«■ TO THE bDITOK. SiX, — I have received a letter from my brother, who is settled in K.uisas, U.S.A., an extract of which may prove interesting to some of your readers. His letter is dated April 12th. He says : "The cold has buen intense during the winter, the mercury sometimes 24' below zero, and farther north as low as 35', and some people died of the cold in Canada. Spring work is now going on —fancy turning 14, 16, and 20-inch furrows and ploughing four acres a-day. The main crop is maize. It is grown ye.ir after year on the same ground, no manure ; the average yield is 40 bushels of 56tt>3 on the uplands, and CO to 80 on the flats pjr acre. The price this year is thirty cents per bushel, which is considered high, the ordinary price being twenty cents. There is scarcely any fencing to be seen, as a herd law obtains in this State, compelling owners of cattle to watch them when loose. Bcpf is worth 7A cents live weight. You ought to try and sell by live weight, as it is more satisfactory. Your freezing scheme ought to succeed, as America cannot spare very much beef, as at prices now ruling they cannot ship at a profit. Butchers here are charging from 10 to 12J cents for beef." So, 'Mr Editor, you will see by the above it is more than ever necessary for us to push on with the frozen meat scheme. I was glad to see you advocating the matter in some of your able leaders, and I sincerely hope that no local jealousy will intervene to mar the successful floating of a scheme that will materially benefit everyone in the colony. I hope the Waikato farmers will follow your advice; if they go in for a slaughtering company, let it by all means be in conjunction with the one in' Auckland. You know the old saying ".unity is strength." It is curious to note how the present company are adopting the plans and proposals of, the, late farmers' company. Although I was laughed at by. some of the 1 lead ing men in Auckland, when I kid our plans before them, who scouted, the idea, as,preposterous, saying we ought to export from the East and West Coast when the cattle were raised, I told them it would come to Auckland in spite of what they said, as we had the harbour and they had not. In my opinion the exportation of frozen meat can only be carried *on successfully in 'the i four deep- water, ports in the' Colony,! tAuoklirfd,-*- Wellington, Lyttelton, and 1 - Dune'diu, .where ships can load jjvitK dispatch, and* go' in and out w ith^affty'. ££Ai»y %otyuiv depots can