The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1724, 24 July 1883, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persftasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1883.

The success of the frozen meat trade has been practically demonstrated by the condition in which nearly all the cargoes of mutton have reached the Home market, and the satisfactory prices which they have realized. Auckland has not been behind-hand in doing its part in the matter, as the prospectus of the newly-formed Frozen Meat and Storage Company published in our columns abundantly shows. A comprehensive, practical, and busi-ness-like scheme, backed up by some of. the best names in the commercial and agricultural community is before the public, and it now rests with those more directly interested in the success of the frozen meat trade to do their part in subscribing the necessary capital. £2 per share is all the capital likely to be called up for some time, and we shall confidently expect that this district -will take care to secure its fair proportion of the shares. A duty devolves upon those gentlemen in the Waikato who not long since brought forward a similar project, to in every way countenance the claims of this company, and thereby give practical proof of their confidence in the scheme which they advocated, and assist us in urging every occupier of land to take an interest in the company, be it ever so small a one. One of the first things that should recommend the prospectus specially to our readers in Waikato is the spirit of fairness shown in the choice of directors. Out of the fifteen directors appointed will be found three Waikato residents, Mr E. B. Walker, and Captains Steele and llunciman, while amongst the remainder are men almost entitled to be classed as such, namely, Messrs James Williamson, J. C. Firth, and Every Maclean. I The scheme itself, too, is based on sound and fair principles. It is intended to be no close corporation, working alone in the interests of a few. To use the words of the prospectus, " The company intend to do the export business for the public entirely as agents, and on agency terms, but it will be prepared, if such business is not offered to a sufficient extent to undertake it as principals." Thus it will rest with individual stock-owners to secure the full advantage of English market prices or not. They can ship at their own risk, or they can sell to the company at colonial market rates. Np doubt market prices here and at horne — less, of course, the cost^ of freezing, freight, commission, &c.~wiu draw towards the same value, .many} to save trouble and realise In" full at once, will se^l directly to , the ? company ; but it is satisfactory to stock-owners to know that) they > can ■ take • their ,j choice of either "alternative course,; and in r supporting^ r thi^pr i oje.oted i company -they 'are not<* raising 1 • into , exis^jad^ampi^oppiy ,, Mcti tai'ghij deprive, ,th' en^/p^i, Jjk J M)\ MW" nient of the highest jnarjket rates vat_ home, pjfeftqfev

frontagdpo ittiflPMjf,' wiarf wliich ships yteek of water can cohie Mongsido of 'firiuHda^i'i c 4 r gPjJ i n lfo rfc y* e ight , lull's, l^s i willf^e sejnii by the piplpectjulf, the; cpropatiy v ' purpose 4o^lavo : ;f reezing. plant; ' meat stores, antf export stores^ ready for use within twelve months. Some little time pince our Te Aroha; cbiitemporary d^ew attention, to the advantages to be derived, nay, to' the very necessity for slaughtering yards in some central position for the Waikato, Piako, and Upper Thames districts, if .the meat is to be received for freezing free from the bruises incidental to sending fat cattle alive some distance by railway, and in first-class condition. The prospectus does not refer to any such arrangements, but, as will be seen, leaves the question fairly open to consideration, when it states that it (< will either directly itself, or with the co-operation of other districts, provide suitable local means and appliances and transit, by which the company's constituents can reap the benefits of the company's storage and export facilities, and markets in Auckland, England and Other places." But if, as we have said, Auckland, which indeed has immense profits and advantages to gain from! its success, has shown no lack of enterprise in pushing forward this movement, we in the country districts have a special duty likewise. With Auckland rests the duty of arranging for the freezing, storing and shipping ; with us that of producing the raw material for them to work upon, whether meat, butter, or other produce. The question we have to face is this — and the sooner we do it the better — Are we prepared to keep up anything like the continuous supply of meat that will be required ? or, to put it another way, to take advantage of the immense and growing trade which is thus thrown open to us. The home market is practically an unlimited one. The imported meat trade had grown in 1&80, we are told, to the value of £26,000,000. Here is a field for New Zealand enterprise. No country, not even America, can enter into competition with us as regards quality of meat. Commercially, we are masters of the position, if we can only move forward. Every cablegram received tells Us of the satisfactory prices obtained for New Zealand mutton. The cargo of the "British King" has just been quoted, for instance, at an average of 7d per Ib, and this, let it be understood, is 3d per lb below the price of English fed mutton, a discrepancy which will soon vanish as the prejudice against foreign meat dies out. What this means to our settler is soon calculated. With present appliances the cost of freezing, freight commission, &c, is 2|d per lb, and this as improved apparatus is invented and brought into use will, in all probability, be greatly lessened. There is, therefore, between the price realised by the " British King's " cargo and the cost of freezing a margin of 4£d per lb for the consignee, or on a sheep weighing 801bs a return to the farmer of 30s. Let the farmer compare this with the net price he receives for similar sheep now : nor this alone ; let him remember also that now his market is limited, uncertain and all times liable to be over-stocked, but that under the new era of the frozen meat trade, he will secure a market, which all he can produce will never glut, and in which he can command good prices at all seasons. To do this, however, our settlers must face the question of supply. They have lately depen- | ded mainly on outside drafts of store sheep for the mutton they have produced With this altered state of things, applying equally to | those districts in which sheep are | largely bred, and from which we have hitherto drawn our supplies of store stock, we must look elsewhere in the future. Our farmers must make sheep breeding as well as sheep feeding their care ; must lay themselves out to produce both grass and turnips, and what forms a large proportion of a four or six course system of rotation at home, seeds, that is, mixed clover and rye grass, sown with either barley or oats, and remaining in pasture two years only at furthest to be turned in for wheat. If thirty shillings, or even a pound can be got for a carcase, and the wool to boot, sheep farming will come to be one of the foremost features in every settlers' system of farming, and with a proper rotation heavy grain crops will be a certain consequence. "Sheep," says an old Lincolnshire proverb, " tread with golden feet," and it will be our own fault in Waikato if we do not in a few years come to realise the force of this adage. Though we have not referred, pointedly to it, the question of the breeding of cattle is perhaps of almost equal importance, although from North Auckland and, elsewhere we may look for a supply of stores bred on land which will scarcely produce beef, properly so called. Moreover, the experience of frozen meat exportation, so far as it goes, is almost entirely confined to mutton. Carcases of beef have not' arrived in the English market in the same first-class condition as mutton, having lost colour, though 'perfectly • sound. •Doubtless this dfficulfcy, either by improved freezing process,' or^by, sending home the carcases of jpj*ttle in, small /sections;? : .even; perhaps in joints,'! ,<wilL be , overcome i^asi.tfie trade de'velbpesitself i* H But whether settlers have Jh^irV .work' ul cut J put foM ,'sthemt as 1 .-< breeders,- [ >and not , n*erel# gtaUiers* of stookl^ltfjisxfc^is positioniwie desire them to

~^^WT* m *" m^ m *T*^ m 7???'ZTrTTT!!22S!i%p r r's -j«s<s'

1 Th« judßment ip the case Wai Sjle t>. The -Te^A*! fonutu Cheese and aeon Factory wil be delivered today tsa^sOTtend , \|ir*7' df\ Mr nmefit engineeri roturneip,to |&uckl; ii d yejfterdfy, vw Waikatoj^fro^raupM whowAe has bejSi engaged iiF laying \#£r a rbOTt^]kWoW& mv. * f v h The road between Mr Larkworthy's station and Te Aroha, is r( present in a frightfully, bad 'condition, and is likely to be worse before i| is better/ Mr A. Isaacs, well-know^ in business circles in Cambridge, is about te open an auction mart in that town, and in addition to the ordinary routine will hold weekly sales. He commences business at an early date, ,-•"■« i « ■ ' r . The usual weekly meeting of the Cambridge Mutual Improvement Association will be held* this evening in the Court-house. The programme consists oi readings and recitations by. the members. A large attendance is expected. The contractors, Messrs Cassidy and Walsh, are making good progress with the construction of the concrete culvert at O'Neill's bridge, Peach-grove road, Hamilton East;"" When finished, the culvert will be a very .substantial work, creditable alike to? the engineers, Messrs Sandes and Napper, and the contractors* ' • Messrs Lawless and Ashley, hot3lkeepers at Waiorongomai, finding that the accommodation at present afforded by their extensive premises, the Waiorongomai and British Hotels, respectively, «re about to make large additions to their houses. Another story is to be added to the former building, ana the accommodation of the British is to be largely increased. A petition, signed by about a hnndred and forty persons in the Cambridge district, has been forwarded to Wellington praying for the removal from this district of Mr H. W. Northcroft, R.M. The petition, which will be presented in the House, to-day, contains the namesof a few J.P., and some of tho local clergymen. The remainder of the signatures are those of property holders and others. In the House on Saturday morning certain of the Opposition members, notably Messrs Fish, Seddon and Turnbull, endeavoured to stonewall the Estimates, but eventually gave in when they found the Government determined to proceed at all hazards. Several divisions took place, and these were in every instance favourable to the Government. The members of the Comus Dramatic Club will give a private performance (to honorary members and friends) at the Oddfellows' Hall, Hamilton Easb, this evening. The pieces to be represented are the comedietta "tut off with a t Shilling," and the farcial comedy "Atchi." Owing to the large number oi honorary members a crowded house is expected. | Mr R. W. Roche, the local agent of the New Zealand Accident Insuring Company, delivered a lecture on the subject of accident insurance in the Te Awamutu Public Hall, on Saturday evening last. There was a fair attendance, and the chair was occupied by Mi J. Winstone. The lecturer commenced by citing a number of statistics showing that the number of accidents occurring in New Zealand was greater than in any other part of the world. He ap pealed to the intelligent portion oi the community to accept the boor which the company offered. Heads ol families, in particular, should avail themselves of the advantages placed withir their reach. When the breadwinner o; the house was stricken down by accident a kind friend in the person of Mr Acer dent Insurance stepped in and paid foi the maintenance of the wife and family Unlike other insurance companies, wh( paid only when the insurer was dead, t!i< Accident Company would keep him wher alive if unfitted by accident for work, uj to a certain limit. The lecture was listened to with evident interest, and several questions having been put anc answered satisfactorily, the fiev H. R Dewsbury moved a vote of thanks to tht lecturer. This was seconded by Mi Benge, and carried by acclamation. Th< usual compliment to the chairmar brought the proceedings to a close. A concert in aid of the funds oi the Brass Band was held at Ngaruawahu on Friday. There was a very goor attendance, and the entertainment passer off most successfully. The following was the programme :— Fantasia (pianoforte), Mrs Rollinsou; song, "Louisa," Mastei Williams; song, "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep," Miss Rollinson ; song, " Some day I'll wander back again," Mi Butcher; song, "Help a Fiiend," Mis; Hammond; song, "Naughty Yonnj Man," Master Mcßurney ; recitation, Mi Wilson; song, "Magic of Music," Mr* Skinner ; song, Miss Rollinson ; song, " Tho Shamrock," MrLenuox ; recitation, Mr Coombes ; fantasia (pianoforte), Mr* Rollinson ; song, " Lass of Richmond Hill," Mr Butcher; song, "Sweet Spirii Hear my Prayer," Mrs Skinner : song, "Kitty of Coleraine," r Mastcr Mcßurney song, " Trip Lightly," Miss Hammond song, "Rule Britannia," Miss Rollinson song, " The Moon Behind the Hill," Mi Lennox: song, "Stil x Love Thee;' song, " Old Brown's Daughter,' Master Williams; song, "Day Wakes its Sorrows ;" recitation { National Anthem. Mr Turner was to have contributed a couple of songs, but unfortunately he was prevented by illness from attending. His place was, however, very efficiently filled by an old friend from th« Thames, whose face was heartily welcomed by the audience. A deadlock of a peculiar character has, according to the Lyttlcton Times, occurred between the South Canterbury Education Board and its late architect, Mr Duval. Mr Duval's engagement with the Board terminated on June 30, and at the July meeting, a few days after, he presented his account, amounting te something slightly under £120. The Board handed the matter over to a committee, with power to act. The committee having investigated the affair j offered the architect £52 in satisfaction of the claim. This he has refused to accept, and acting under advice, he has seized all the plans by which works are now being carried out for the Board. The Board hold that Mr Duval is entitled to commission up to the date Of the termination of his engagement. He, on the other hand, maintains that he can claim full commission on all works in hand up to completion. The works, therefore, are at a standstill.

, The Wellington Correspondent of the N Z iferald telegraphs on Sunday :—: — A Book containing, full information and directions as to the manufacture of cheese (together with lithographed plates of the 'building and machinery required) will be issued>by the Government in a few clays. Copies of the ,work will be distributed shortly. Recognising the great importance of the cheese manufacturing industry, no expense has been spared by the Government in getting up the book, and all the latest improvements in machinery, &c, are shown in coloured plates. The drawings are accomifaniedby a , descrip-i tiv'e letterpress. ' Early " copies' p ( f jbhe work will be posted |o ( thd'Pukekohe and v Mauku,' J nne i efei factory by ■ Major Harris, who has' taken j'cqnsiderHble, interest in -the production' of tlw > w f orlc" i{ The book beiHyeacly^eiirlyi nex^ week,- "Wnti^'A IJOU, if'

- Messrs Lewis , and Simpson's new acU yprtUeraent, »•« latwt shipment of goods, will re-" ?iniit?^iviihp6ni.nf'irinoufaconient;iti,ouf iadTer"^