TE HORO DAIRY COMPANY ABSORBED BY CITY MILK DEPARTMENT

Chronicle (Levin), 12 December 1946, Page 7

TE HORO DAIRY COMPANY ABSORBED BY CITY MILK DEPARTMENT

Thirty-One Year History Traced At Cessation Dinner — - The ever increasing demand for milk for clistribution to Wellington consumers, has led to the absorption fyy the Wellington Municipal Milk Department of the Te Horo . Dairy Company. This was revealed at a eessation dinner held in Te Horo Hall, recently by the directors to wind up the 31 years of trading by the company, which was recently passed over to the control , of the council. Between four and five hundred attended the function, including shareholders, directors, suppliers, staif and friends,. Representatives of the City MunicipaF Milk Department, neighbouring dairy companies and the Wellington Dairy Farmers Co-op. Association, also attended.

The Te Horo dairy factory was, builfc 011 its present site in 1915 for the production of export cheese. In ils early days it functioned as a three vat factory, and averaged a ' tiaiiy outpiit of twenty-four 80-lb. cheeses a day. Later it increasea its vats to seven and its daily output rose accordingly to sixty-five 80-lb. cheeses a day, which is its present output. To a Sound Footing The secretary oi Uife Paraparaumu Dairy Company, Mr. A. Hardham, in proposing a toast to the Te Horo Company, traced its history from its incepuion, remarking that it was a ■ strange coinci- ■ dence that the company had commenced under the chairmanship of Mr. C. J. Spiers, and was ceasing activities under the chairmanship of the latter's brother. Mr. K. F. iSpiers. He made particular mention of the late Mr. J. G. Harkness and the late Mr. G. H. Harper, two very prominent figures in dairying in ihe early days, and he claimed it was largely due to their hfforts that the company was placed on a sound footing. The rapid extension of the Hutt Valley as a built up area had led to the City Council's interest in ihe Horownenua district, ana an investigation as to its suitability as an alternative supply for a good continuous supply of milk for consumntion in the city.

When replying, Mr. Spiers said l that before the decision was made J go establish the company, farmers ! in the district had been supplying | the Fresh Food and Ice Company, ! of Wellington. Relations with the ! farmers had always been harmonjious. 1 In paying tribute to past secrejtaries of the company, Mr. Spiers j mentioned Messrs. R. H. Spencer, A. jWilson and the present secretary, Mr. J. Watt, of Wellington, who was ! -iow acting as liquidator of the j company. He also referred to the ! work done by the late Mr. J. Mori gan, Senr., and Mr. V. Morgan, who j nad carried out the cartage for the company from its inception. Mencion was also made of the work of Mr. W. J. Kirker, who was manager for 26 years, and Mrs. and Miss I. Kirker, who had greatly assisted the company. ^ x Milk Department's Ctrowth Proposing a toast to the succesiors, the Municipal Milk Department, Mr. V. J. Cottle, traced the growth of Wellington and the accompanying growth in the : Jeiggjid: Is^thHk; he had )i§eii!=a SUppffer 6i>mflk tp Wellington before coming" to Te Hoio From the Hutt, and had eontinued o supply from his farm in Te Horo ill the birth of the Municipal Milk Department. He had been a strong

advocate for the supplying of milk to the city by farmers of Te Horo. Relationships between the company and the department had always been very harmonious. The Municipal Milk Department now had a greater turnover tnan uhat-of the Electricity Department, said Mr. L. Benseman, manager of che department, when replying. In I its first year it" distributed 44,000 gallons, representmg a return of £170,000. Today it was distributing 1C 0,000 gallons y early, representing £650,000, and was still growing. Mr. Benseman paid a tribute to iiis staff and to the late Mr. Herron, past manager, and Mr. A. S. Patterson, country superintqiident. There had been over 5000 changes in staff during the war, said Mr. Benseman, yet there had been no interruption in the Wellington milk supply. He considered the taking over of the company would be a good step for both parties. It had been mooted as far back as 1941. In paying a tribute to the directors of the company, Mr. Benseman, mentioned that a spirit of cooperation between them and the department had always existed, and he hoped that it would be the fea„ure of future dealings. Foundation Members

Seven men had been responsible :or the starting of a very useful industry in the district, said Mr. W. f. Barber, proposing the toas": 'Foundation Members." They were. vlessrs. H. J. Taylor, G. Tolhurst, C. f. Spiers, the late Messrs. C. H. /Vildsmith, P. K. Buchannan, G. Dlacken and T. H. Windley. Mr. Barber asked those present to stand in memory of those who had passec away. Replying to this toast, Mr. H. J. Taylor said he felt a "lone ranger,' as he was the only member of the original seven who was able to attend. He apologlsed for the unavoidable absence of Messrs. Spiers and Tolhurst, and also mentioned Messrs. D. Mickell, J. Guy and R. H. Barber, Sen., as men who had helped the factory along in its earlier days. The initial meeting of the first directorate of the company had been held on March 5, 1915. At that meeting Mr. C. J. Spiers had been appointed chairman, ahd in flis opinion no better selection of a; foundation chairman could have been made. Mr. Taylor also paid tribute to Mr. W. Lander, who had been the first manager. After Mr. Landef's retiremenfc to take up ^farming, a Mrs. William had taken over and .•-he had been succeeded by Mr. Kh'ker. When mentioning other early mem - bers, Mr. Taylor said the late Mi. Buchanan had left to join the forces in the 1914-18 war, and had been killed in action. Replying to a toast "The Visitors," proposed by Mr. A. H. Sase.

the chairman of the Wellington Dairy Farmers Co-op Association. Mr. J. J. Maher said he regretted that the company was losing control of the factory, as it meant that it would go from manufacturirig* for export to manufacturing for a local market. He added, however. that it would probably be in the best interests of the farmers in the district. He wished- the milk producers well, and paid a tribute to Mr. Benseman and the staff of the. Municipal Milk Department. Factory Managers Proposing the tpast "The Factory Managers," Mr. I. Bertram said it was men like Mr. Lander and Mr. Kirker, who had set a standard for all young men who aspire to factory managership. The high standard of their product on the London market was due to the able management of the company. In reply, Mr. Lander congratu"lated the farmers of the district for their foresight in having launched the co-operative venture. He thanked Mr. Bertram for his kind remarks. Mi\ Kirker spoke on similar lines. • Paying- tribute - to the "Old Settlers," Mr. E. K.# Gawler, said it must give them much satisfaction to see the district's progress over the years. He also paid a tribute to their work in this regard. In reply, Mr. F. J. Ryder mentioned that it was 60 years since he first came to Te Horo from Nelson. Since then there had been considerable changes. He' considered the young people of today did not realise the hardships of the early settlers. Work of the Women There was a complete lack of appreciation by city women of the work done by their sisters in the countrv. said Mr. A.: V. Cottle, when proposing a toast to "The Women." He referred to their work during the war in the packing and dispatching of parcels for the armed forces, their keen sense of civic responsibility and their work in the home. Mrs. C. Walker, made an appropriate reply. Other speakers were, Mr. J. Watt, secretary of the company., and Mr. W. Westaway, a visiting shareholder and past director, from Wanganui. At the close of the function, Mr. Spiers thanked all those present for their co-operation in the past and led the gathering in the singing of Auld Lang Syne and the National Anthdiru \ .