WAIKATO FARMERS' CLUB. Special Meeting.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2749, 25 February 1890, Page 2

WAIKATO FARMERS' CLUB. Special Meeting.

A spkcial meeting of ;the above club was held at 2.30 p.m. on .Saturday, at Cambridge, to endeavour to uiake arrangements to support the-Tauranga County Council in obtaining a guarantee of 25,000 sbeep per year for four years, in which case Messrs Nelson Bros, have offered to start freezing works at Tauranga. There were present : Messrs G. E. Clark (chairman), J. Fisher, F. Hicks, C. Ewen, W. G. Park n E. B. Walker, R. Reynolds, F. 'Forrest, N. Dougherty, Ed. Allen; Scott, F. J. Brooks, R. Fisher, W. Selby and J. Runciman.

The circulars from the Tauranga County Council and Nelson Bros, were road by the secretary. The Chairman said he thought the -scheme , : would commend itself to all of thein. -."'All previous offers received f-om Freezing Companies had contained nothing that would suit small farmers, but 1 Nelson Bros, offered to take the whole cost upon their shoulders,' from the delivery of the sheep until the account sales, and also to advance per lb, upon the meat; in fact tliey required nothing and advanced what he (the .chairman) thought would be about half the profit. The Loan and Mercantile Company offered to advance 3d per lb., but the expenses had to be deducted, which, at Messrs Nelson's estimate, were 2fd;.par lb., so that only left Jd per lb. to come to the farmer, whereas by the scheme now under consideration they could get l£d, which was much better, both for small and large farmers. Competition was the life and soul of trade, and he thought, they should support the firm that was willing to; ciinie to th«ir aid. The small farmers of Waikato did nob go in m;ich for Blieepfarming, but if there was sufficient inducement offered they would soon have flocks, and be muse say the offer now before them seemed a good one. Of course it would be useless to endeavour to obtain the required guarantee without the aid of the big companies. He understood the Tauranga people .would guarantee 12,000 and the remaining 13,000 could easily be made up in Waikato, providing the companies would lend a hand. It would be to the interest of all >vho had large landed properties in Waikato.to open a market for this provinbe, and he trusted that even the Loan and Mercantile Company would send, at any rate, a p rt of their stock, as he felt •u e it would pay them as well as by ireezihg at their own works in Auckland, and would greatly enhance the value of their properties in Waikato. The great drawback was the guarantee. Many of them had been badly bitten in years poirn by, and were naturally shy of guarantees; but he hoped the difficulty would be overcome. He asked as to the road?—Mr Richard Reynolds said he had lately travelled along it, and it was all good with the exception of a portion through the bush, and he had no doubt the Piako County Council would soon remedy that, it the guarantee was obtained. It would be a three day's' less drive than to Auckland, and there would be good paddocking both on the journey and at the end of it.—Mr Forrest said it was no use discussing the road until they knew about the guarantee, and it would be no good asking those farmers to sign who were under the thumb of the Loan and Mercantile; they would have to go to those who were independent. —A lengthy discussion of a desultory character ensued as to obtaining the guarantee, but as nothing appeared to be known about how the big companies felt re the matter, it was decided to defer it until tho next meeting of the Club, Mr Walker in tho meanwhile undertaking to wait upon the directors in Auckland, and other members undertook to see the managers of the estates. —It was resolved to report p ogress to the Tauranga County Council and tender them a hearty vote of thanks for the trouble thoy had taken.