CRITICAL SPEAKERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 18, 30 August 1946, Page 5

CRITICAL SPEAKERS

THE PIG FARM VENTURE LONG SIGHTED VIEW NEEDED Mr J. Mullins was forcibly critical of the running of administration of the Company Pig Farm, at the annual ing of the Rangitaiki Plains Dairy Company Suppliers at Edgecumbe last Wednesday, when he described the progress of the farm as being retrogressive over the past five years.,

Mr Mullins declared that the whole position was far from satisfactory as year by year there appeared to be a declining prospect of making the venture successful. He asked whether it were "not possible to secure a complete data list of the farrowings on the farm. This he felt was where the losses were made and if it was found not profitable to rear the pigs on the farm, it may be found a better proposition to buy young pigs at the sales and merely fatten them on the farm. Mr R. E. Blair explaining the matter said that at the: present time the management of the farm was in a state of flux. Costs were heavy—particularly for pig food and a number of new farrowing houses were necessary. However when these points were overcome the pig farm account should show a substantial improvement.

Mr R. W. Dunning considered that shareholders should be given far more details of the activities of the pig farm. Last year he understood that only eight pigs per sow were raised:

' The chairman said he fully concurred with what Mr Dunning had said. Mr Steenson considered that the manager should be put on a share basis, on the turnover of the farm. He strongly favoured paying the manager a decent salary and giving him a free hand to administrate the farm and to make all purchases of pigs.

Mr C. Wilson for the Directorate, said he agreed that the comment was fair in view of the returns from the farm over a number of years.He could assure the meeting however that the whole matter had been investigated and would be further investigated during the year. Possibly in view of further unavoidable expense during the coming year the company could not look forward to a heavy profit, in the long run the farm with the development now going forward must be successful.

. Messrs. Spence and Radford pointed out that taken by a large the returns from the pig farm by comparison with other similar institutions were most satisfactory. At the conclusion of the meeting, on the motion of Mr Dunning it was decided in future to place a detailed statement on the returns from the Pig Farm, before the annual general meeting for the purpose of enabling suppliers to get an insight as to buying figures and turnover data.