NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2213, 28 July 1914, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

MANGATAINOkA CHEESE , FACTORY (By Wißrapli.—Bpeclsl CorjemondenU Pahiatua, July 27. Tho cheese factories in the Pahiatua .district -experienced a very successful season for tlio 1913-14 period. Tho annual meetings of tlio various cooperative companies will be • held next month.' The fourth 'annual report to he submitted to. tho iUangatainoka Cheose Factory shareholders on Saturday is a very satisfactory oiio. It states that with the exception of two ?maU shipments, totalling S2 crates, the whole of the output, Jess the usual ■ shrinking .allowance, was sold at 6}d. per_ lb.j f.0.r.,' Mangatainoka. After paying advances for butter-fat totalling. £8380 19s. 3d.; a sum of £141&105.'.9q. -remains .to the credit of the profit and loss account. The directors Tecommend that the latter should be disposed of as follow:—Five per cent, on paid-up capital, 2 5-Bd. per lb. on butter-fat supplied during August, 1913, and. 1 5-Bd. per lb. on l butter-fat supplied .during •tho remainder of the season;' £85. 9s. Sd., , representing Jd. per lb of buttertat supplied, to bo applied for the reduction of tho mortgage■ account and. tor which shares of an equivalent value will bo allotted shareholders supplying milk; and' writing tho balance- off .for depreciation. The average prick; paid lor butter-fat during the season will amount to 14-Jd: per lb. During the ' season o, now b' horse-power engine and ■a kaurrwhoy:,tank were.installed. Ono o.ttJie old vats-'was'., also relined.' 'Tl-e directors recently, decided to instal "a - wliey-soparation plant, which it is hoped to: have ready by the .time the factory ■opens ; to receive ..the-coming season's, milk. Based.on.the .past : season's milk supply, tho.r.evenu'e derivable from'-this source is estimated at '£450, while it is' estimated that,,tho 'eost of ' -installing tne. plant, • including the' necessary - building, .will not exceed £400. Thoquantity of: milk received- during the ■^f: n )yas 4,4.42;1421b., . which equalled !%'i ■ • of. butter-fat, and from-which 447,9/21b. (approximately 200 tons) of cheese was manufactured.. The average test was 3.7. The quantity of milk required to make eacli.lb: of cheese was" ■ 9.911b., while from each lb. of butter-. fat 2.'/21b. of cheesp was made; ' The quantity of milk,received for. tho three previous seasons was as follows:—1912■13,:3 ) 851';0()81b..;;'jiroducihg 387,4671b. of cheese; 1911-12,.' 4,455,2781b. milk, /462,3G31b. cheese,; 3,598,6961b. milk, 360,6231b. .cheese. The balancesheet shows that'cheese'sales totalled £ll;407 os. 6d., which,, together wifcli £133 17s. 2d., carried forward from tho ■ previous: sea-son, ■ makes the total revenue for', tho. season £11,540 17s. Bd. The expenditure totalled £10,121 6s. lld.j the principal l items being: Advances for butter-fat,'; £8880.195.' 3d.; wages, secretary,-, and audit; £503 135.; ■repairs and renewals, £191! 125..; crates, £163,165. Id.; : requisites and material, £141. 175.'4 d.; tuel, "£63. : \Tho land owned, by the company is assessed at ■£74.65., tho buildings £813 7s. 6d.-, and the plant £582.: ■'•;.. ' .. - MANAWAtU AND WEST COAST A. AND P. ASSOCIATIONS'. ■'• FAT, CATTLE, SCHEDULE' FOR ■ ! V .'./',-' NEXTSHOWV ■".•' ■'■'■■ '•■ ' ';■"■.■. (To tlio Editor.) .'. . ■ . -'Sir,—When .A. and:-,P, Associations. - find'it necessary to make alterations in the 1 prize list, they .'-usually give 6ome reasons or caus.o if or. ,sq tioiug, but.in tho present instance I'have seen Ho , re;, port-in:the Press bearing On the sulp ; '.ject,' and, along' with ;many others- : I ■ would be glad to, know why the General Committee adopted the,.recommendations, of the sub-committee-of'the'cattle sections, "which iii.' the opinion 'of tho writer'is:a retrograde stop... . '\: ■■' '-.. Ever since the h'rst show at :Palmer-. . stou the policy >~ of ■ the "Management' i Committee has been the encouragement, of early, maturity in the,beef breeds of cattle.: But the present sub-committee, ; when-they formulated their recommen- ; dations'for alterations an,the fat cattle '. classes, ■ ee'ein 'to me" to have become • imbuediAviththo, idea :that an alteration ' was. necessary,' butS unfortunately took ; the wrong direction, if the: encourage- ■ ment of early maturity is/still the policy • of the society., .The'following is a copy .; v of the recommendations in. tho fat cattle '■'. classes, brought before the General Coni- ■ mittee:— ••'.', . ' ■ -. • i Class 163.—Tw0 heifers calved , since July 1, 1911, is altered to two fat cows. '. Class 166.—Tw0: 4-year-old bullocks ■ is altered,to 5-year-old. 167.—Tw0 3-yoar-old builocke is'altored to 4-year-old. ■ ■'■'•.• ;Class 168.—Best peri, three 2-year-old steers is altered to two , 3-year-old steers. : • : .Class 169,.-*-Single bullock for shop . purposes is altered from 3-year-ol&- to 4-year-old. ;.-■; ~ ', : ;'■ ; -- : . . ; - A. hundred years back connoisseurs •! and consumers of meat demanded full- ' grown, aged animals,'such as 5 and 6-year-old mutton, and huge bullocks snch' as tho .celebrated, MDurham ox,": but ; since then fashion, or taste, has been . steadily-altering in-favour, of small joints from young animals. For a time breeders :endeavoured to ■ withstand what they: considered. a passing craze ■'. on'the part- of the consumer, but the. majority soon -recognised the futility .■ of trying to: foist on the. public, what to them was an unpalatable article, and set to work to cultivate early maturity in both sheep and cattle- : iu fact'it wers well if farmers moro fully realised that they must cater to the demands of tho consumer—so that to-day early maturity ha 6 reached'that stage that the cliampion prizes for beef have been awarded to animals under 30 months, and in several instances animals under ,18 months have defeated those older. Besides we have , only to look at the ever-increasing demand there is for veal to come to the conclusion ; that a mistake has been made in altering the age in the classes for fat cattle at Palmorston. "•■• .' • . ■ I hardly, think the-time has yet come, but,if the demand for "vealers" continues, in another: year it may be advisable to amend the classes as follow, that is, for 1915:— '- Class, 163:—-Two heifers calved since 1912, altered to calved 1913. 166.—Tw0 4-year-old bullocks, altered to 3-year-old. ' 167.—Tw0 3-year-old bullocks altered to 2-year-old. 168.—Pen three 2-year-old steers altered to vealors.—l am, etc.. CONSUMER. AGRICULTURAL HICH SCHOOL. / (To tho'Editor.) Sir, —We in New Zealand are outgrowing the did idea that book-learning is education, and generally now agree that to educate a boy well means to equip him as completely as possiblo for his life's work. In schooling our boys wo spend annually a very large sum of money, and good work is done. Our educational leaders are constantly trying by detailed improvements to get bettor results. ■ •But with regard to our High Schools it can be shown there is need for drastic reform.. No one questions that agricultural an.d pastoral products keep NewZealand afloat financially, and that the larger the .value of our production tlio better for the. Dominion , as a whole. Our land is.steadily getting occupied in smaller: areas, and as rural population thickens.it is necessary that our productive power per acre must bo -maintained or increased if we are to uphold or.i" present prosperous position. To maintain era* '■ BrewA productive

power, and proceed without impoverishing our lands' by unwise cropping and grazing, science is offering us great help by making experiments and carefully re- : cording facts and-statistics. And it; is dawning on us that it takes the 'cleverest boy in the family to be an np r to-date farmer. . It is of great importance to New Zealand that opportunity should be given a fair, percentage of our hoys to get the,best training possible. In this matter we lag far behind Scandinavia, which for years has had a system of Agricultural High Schools, which have been largely responsible for her increased prosperity. Our present High Schools, with all their good points, ■have .one great flaw, in that, taking the cream of our .boys from the primary schools, they are, generally speaking, unfitting them for "occupation in our most important industry. It is true that there'has been a steady growth ■under some Education Boards of an agricultural side in High Schools', and fine work dono. there. .It. is suggested that for all High Schools to do the same is all that'is needed. But we know that to do the best work in anytime wo must specialise. And in a province like • Wellington with its ten High Schools there is no doubt that to make one of them,an Agricultural High School, properly staffed, would do better work than to. givo a little agricultural training in each High School. Valuable work is being done in ' our. pipiary schools, to open our children's eyes to the fascinating wonders of Nature and to encourage country life. And there are many clever lads whoso inclination is towards country life, but there is little encouragement'given by our scheme of education. An Agricultural College such a* Lincoln is, or course, a fine finish for lads whose scholarship-or means enables them'to go there, but for the greater number who cannot reach such a college opportunity should be given to got a step higher'.than primary classes by the establishment of an Agricultural High School in every province. > There will bo difficulty in-staffing them, but lio insuperable difficulty, provided too niany are not established at the 6amo time: '■■-.'' , , The Board of Agriculture will no doubt deal carefully with the question of agricultural education; but the whole subject needs, bringing into prominence in order that public 'opinion may _bo formed to support action taken to improve the'position. The importance of the question .to New Zealand can hardly be over-estimated. Each man we'train to-do/good'work' in the country enlarges! the wage fund available for town work-' ers, both manual and professional. ;Bach man we/draw towards town life makes one more to take out of the wage/fund. Surely it is time we took more efficient steps to he careful that-in spending our educational vote we are not unfit-' ting our brightest lads for country life, where : they 'would be of the greatest service to the Dominion?—l am, etc., ■■ ■'~"■' ' . : ' : W.8.M.Wo guarantee you; satisfaction. M you rail us your cream. Wo Rive you correct test, proper 'weight, and best' price all the time. By sending our liutter direct to/England, America, and Africa, we do away with the middleman's profitsi and give, yo'u the'benefit of our selling organisation.- For further'particulars write us at once, or rail ■'. your -CTeam to St. John's Butter •■ Factory, St. John's Station, 'Wanganui.—Advt. ■ ■■'! .'■ ; ... Ever considered the advisability of in-stalling-a water-wheel on,your property? There's a lot of- power running to waste in that ,swift stream—enough to drive all your farm. .machinery. 'This,- is a good sound proposition—means money to you. 'Write for; particulars.', A. J.'.. Parfcon, Sheet Metal and Plumbing Works, Carterton.—Advt. -.'!.-