WAKANUI CHEESE AND BUTTER FACTORY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 830, 30 December 1882, Page 2

WAKANUI CHEESE AND BUTTER FACTORY.

Those interested in establishing a cheese and butter factory at Wakanui held an adjourned meeting in the schoolroom, on Wednesday last, tor the purpose of receiving the report of the committee appointed to obtain further information respecting the number of cows that would be likely to be milked for a factory and the bast site for the same. There were about twenty farmers present, and Mr J. Brown was voted to t ie chair.

The report of the committee, which was as follows, was read by the chairman : Your committee, in accordance with your resolution, have canvassed the district in order to obtain the fullest information on the questions submitted to them, and have to report that, from information received, they have every reason to believe that at no distant date 450 cows might be milked for the factory. That number of cows will be within a radius of four miles of the Wakanui school. There are several fanners at the present time that we may say have no cows, but we think will be very likely to have some by and by. They are the following, namely: —Messrs D. Butterick, Brown Bros., James Brown, C. Hill, J. Moore, G. Cox, James Wilson, David Wilson, and several others. None of them have a single cow on our list. We think that if a factory were once fairly established, it would be likely to be supplied with the milk of about 600 cows. As many of the farmers have given the number of cows that they would milk instead of the number that they do milk, we think that considerable allowance should be made for shortcomings; we have therefore put down the number that would be likely to be milked for the factory, if it were established next summer, at about 300. We think it might lead to disappointment to expect more. In regard to the best place to build a factory, there is some difference of opinion on this question among the farmers, but we have no hesitation in saying that the majority of them would be perfectly satisfied if the factory were erected somewhere near the Wakanui main school. We would therefore recommend, when it is resolved to build a factory, that a site be purchased from Mr E. Thomas, or Mr P. Lownic, or Mr Janies Brown, and that the site be as near to the Wakanui main school as possible.— James Brown, Chairman of Committee.

The report having been adopted, a discussion took place, as to the basis on which factory should be established. Mr E. Thomas proposed—“ That this meeting is of opinion that it would bo more to the benefit of the farmers of the district to have a cheese and butter factory independent of the Ashburton Cheese and Butter Factory, than in connection with it ; and that steps sh iuld bo at once taken to form a company to be called the Wakanui Cheese and Butter Company. ” Mr John Kilgour seconded the m )tion proforma. Mr Cochrane proposed the following amendment—“ That the directors of the Ashburton Cheese and* Butter Factory Company be requested to establish a cheese and butter factory at Wakanui, and that this meeting promises to supply the milk of 300 cows to the factory if it be established by next summer.” This was seconded by Mr Leatham, and after some discussion, Mr Thomas withdrew hia motion, and the amendment was carried.

On the motion of Mr Leatham, seconded by Mr Cochrane, it was resolved—“ That the chairman forward the committee’s report and the resolution to the directors of the Ashburton Cheese and Butter Factory Company, and also inform them of the number of additional shares that would be likely to be taken up in the event of a factory being established at Wakanui." A vote of thanks was passed to the chairman, and the meeting adjourned.