FREEZING WORKS AT TOLGGA BAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2403, 19 January 1909, Page 3

FREEZING WORKS AT TOLGGA BAY.

MEETING, OF FARMERS.

A largely attended meeting of farm, ers Avas held at Toioga Bay on Saturday last, to, discuss proposals to establish a freezing Avorks in the district. Mr. J. B. Morris Avas voted to the chair land upwards of fifty settlers were present. The "meeting Avas held in the commercial room of Mr. Murphy’s iicav. hotel. . The chairman said all were agreed that a freezing Avorks was a necessity at Toioga Bay. There was a large quantity of stock in the ' district. Lambs could not bo driven, to Gis-1 borne in any condition. There was no feed or Avater on tho road. There were gentlemen present w3io could give them information. The chairman of-the Gisborne Farmers’ works; had come up, and coidd tell' them Avliat could be done. He avou'M move—“ That a freezing Avorks be estabilished at Toioga Bay in time to commence work next season.”

Mr Maurice Fitzgerald seconded the motion.

Mr. 0. A.’do Lautour Avas present and in a short address nointed out the benefit a.freezing Avorlts Avould be to the district, and the .methods to be adopted in tfliei-r. establishment. He remarked thu-t lit Avas not easy to express an opinion as to a local Avorks, as no facts Aver© available. The points to be settled Avcre : The. output to be relied ai.pon, the facilities and cost of shipping, the location of the works, the cost of a Avorks fitted to deni with, say, 100,000 sheep, and the cost of handling the output. He had had the advantage that morning of Aueving the harbor and Cook’s Cove under favorable conditions. He had formed a strong opinion—which, however, was perhaps not worth much—that a works upon the rteer Avas out of the question. There must be a certainty thlit the meat could be got away at -all times when a vessel could lay outside. With a fluctuating and shallow sand bar there could be no such certainty. Cook’s CoAm appeared well adapted -as ia.site for a works. If a Avharf could be run out Avhich Avould stand the north-east seas and give a depth of six feet at iow water there seemed nothing to prevent steam’ insulated lighters from Gisborne loading the ships, which, according to the charts, could come AA'ithin a reasonable distance. This was a question for marine experts, upon which information could be easily got. Sufficient fresh water must be available. . -That Avonlcl require careful examination and test. As to- initial cost he thought machinery and plant voaid require an outlay of at least £20,000. Bearing in mind holding room, Avhich might a-t any time be required not to stop) working, £IO,OOO should be allowed foF buildings land site. If they ran a separate lightering plant another £SOOO 'would be required. If the AVorlcs Avere justified at Toioga an output of 100,000 sheep should be provided for. In his opinion the •AA’hole question turned upon the- cost of working, a sufficient output being assured. The Gisborne works could now work as cheaply as anv other Avorks in New Zealand;. with an increasing output cost might be. still further reduced without reduction of concessions. * A works at Toioga must be prepared to work-.at the same cost and give the same returns of profits as Gisborne, plus the cost of droving to Gisborne, and some allowance for loss in Aveight. Certain expenses Avere constant and unavoidable, Avhatever the output AA-as, or however irregular, and the cost depended almost entirely upon the extent and regularity of the supplies. The farmer Avould consider the actual extra sum he pa Ad out of his pocket more, than the •unknown and uncertain loss of Aveight in driving to Gisborne. The local committee must get at the facts. The Gisborne Company had ia (large body of shareholders on the coast, land any considered vieiv they arrived at Avould be most carefully considered by the directors. If they could show that there would be a permanent increase of output which could not be served from Gisborne, and that . the cost of Avoiding was not prohibitive the directors Avould, lie Avas sure, he prepared to 'help them. The whole question of branch Avorks was a difficult one-. Centralisation as far as practfi table Avas the best for the cooperative farmer, because the cheapest. He Avas inclined to think that where branch works Avere justified independent auxiliary companies with poAvers of future 'amalgamation Avould Avork the best. These powers could, if desired, be used Avhen the branches were brought approxiimateily into line as regards cost of production with the parent works. Any detail information which would be of use to them would he furnished from Gisborne. . . The chairman’s motion Avas carried unanimously. . The following commnttee Avas appointed: —(Messrs J. B. Morris, G. Reynolds, Utting, J. A. Moore, Martin Fitzgerald, It. ©lack, 0. E. Bartram, H. Lo-isel, and R. Murpliy. Mr. IV. F. Sinclair was -appointed interim secretary. . The committee avms lauthomsecl to colfect information as to the number of sheep that would likely' be sent to the works,. the amount of money required to establish an up-to-date Avorks, and the numbei of shares each farmer would he prepared to take up. When the committoe has this information another meeting will be called." A FARMER’S OPINIONS.

Speaking to a “Times” reporter, a Tologa 'Bay farmer who was (present ‘at tiie meeting said till at the feeding among slieepfarmers is that there is sufficient stock in the district to warrant ia freezing works being established, but against that there was the fact that- a great number of the.pastorailists were shareholders in the Gisborne Sheepfarmers’ Company, land the question, was whether if would pay them, as shareholders, to establish ifresh works along the coast, or to induce the Gisborne Company to do so. It was all a question of which would bo the most profitable. If the farmers could freeze fat lambs and fat sheep nearly as cheaply nt Tcdoga •as in Gisborne the ti-a.de would probably warrant the erection of a freezing works. “Another consideration, said the speaker, “that was not touched unon at the meeting was the high charges for shipping wool to Gisborne. If freezing works were established M> both Tologa. Bay and ( Tokomaru, there would be suffici

trade to induce the wool and mutton boats to call, and that AA r ould be a great saving, as the transhipment charge on avool has been incerased Is per bale.”

“At tho meeting,” tho speaker continued,” the question was liaised as to the floss of Aveight on fat lambs driven -a distance. Mr. A. iS. Wachsjnann said .thatpin Canterbury it was recognised that fat lambs while being driven Host on an average bib per day, and in driving 1000 iliambs for five or six days the loss would therefore be considerable. iSevorall other speakers endorsed Avhat Mr. Wadlisinann said, and that .alone is a strong argument in favor of works being established on the coast, as 'it is generally considered that ultimately the export of fiat lamb Avill supersede the export of mutton. The Toioga farmers, however, did not discuss the advisability of supporting the erection of a freezing Avorks at Tokomarn.”