PAYOUT FOR CHEESE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 187, 1 December 1941, Page 5

PAYOUT FOR CHEESE

HARD EARNED HALFPENNY RANGITAIKI SUPPLIERS' WAR EFFORT Suppliers of the Rangitaiki Plains Dairy Company's new Pupuaruihe cheese factory received an advance payment of l/3d per lb of butterfat supplied in the farm of milk for cheesemiaking during October, the first month) of the factory's season. This is Yzd more than the monthly advance of 1/2 1 / 2 d per lb of butterfat to suppliers of superfine cream to the Comipany's Edgecumbe butter factory As was generally expected, the Dairy Company is following a conservative policy in making monthly advances to its cheese suppliers. However there are hopes of "a big bonus" at the end of the season, when it may be possible to pay out as much as 2d per lb more to suppliers of milk for cheese-making than to* suppliers of cream for butter-making. Just how "big" the bonus will be depends on how the many and varied costs of running the new cheese factory turn out after the full season's operations. The Avar situation is. of course, another factor, so suppliers hope that the Axis will be well battered in the next few months. Production at Height " The Pupuaruhe checse factory is now going at full capacity night and day. Every one of the vats is filled twice daily; every one of the 20-gallon and 25-gallon milk cans and every 12-gallon cream can that the Dairy Company can buy isi being brought to the factory twice daiy filled with Rangitaiki Plains milk. 411 the people concerned are working long and, arduous hours. Farmers whose milk is collected on the iirst trips of the milk lorries find it necessary to l start their milking machines at 4 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. The night shift factory workers come on duty at G p.m. Even the Dairy Company directors arc kept busy listening to a certain amount of "growling" by liard-working suppliers. Shortage of Cans One source of complaint arises from the shortage of milk cans. Cans collected full of milk have to be emptied at the factory and then returned to the suppliers' gates sometime in the forenoon and evening. This causes some inconvenience to suppliers who have to harness up a horse to cart the empty cans from road to milking shed at 8 or 9 p.m. as a preliminary to milking at 4 am. next day. However, so great is the shortage of steel and tin that it is not possible to get a duplicate set of milk cans, such as is the custom with suppliers of cream. Meanwhile the good work of making war-time cheese continues day an<l night and cheese laden ships leave the port of Whakatane loaded to the plimsol line.