MARKED EXPANSION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 153, 2 December 1938, Page 12

MARKED EXPANSION

CITY MILK SYSTEM

EXTENSIONS AT RAHUI

FINE MODERN PLANT

Soon after the City Council initiated its milk, supply scheme—the first municipal supply system in the world: —it leased the then small Rahui dairy factory at Otaki as a "balancing" factory; that was, in months when the supply of milk and cream from dairy farms near Wellington was short, sup-' plies were brought in from Rahui, but when there was ample milk from the nearer farms milk from the Otaki area was separated and the cream made into butter. In 1924 the factory was purchased by the council and the balancing plan continued, though with increasing difficulty as the milk department's business grew. Some years ago additions were made to the plant sufficient to make good the leeway, but as demand grew steadily higher, and when recently the school milk system was introduced, the enlarged plant was again inadequate to handle the volume of milk and cream passing through the factory. Further additions were made, at a total cost of £33,678, covering extensions to the buildings, the purchase of up-to-the-minute plant, two cottages for the staff, and a certain amount of land. Today the Rahui factory is a model of what a small milk-treating factory may be, competent to pasteurise and bottle milk, with particular reference to the smaller bottles for the school system, and to handle excess milk or milk from which cream has been extracted in butter and casein making. The new plant—pasteurisers, bottlers, bottle steriliser, various pumps, motors, and improvements to the boiler-room —cost £14,528. Yesterday afternoon city councillors and Corporation officers and their wives, suppliers of the Rahui area, and residents of Otaki were invited by the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, and members of the milk committee to visit the new factory (for it has been so transformed as to be a new factory), and made a pleasant afternoon of it. Mr. and Mrs. Hislop were met by the Mayor of Otaki, Mr. C. F. Atmore, and Mrs. Atmore. The guests included Lady Norwood, whose husband, Sir Charles Norwood, took the lead in establishing the city milk supply system, Dr. McLean and Dr. Ritchie, of the Department of Health, Mr. G. M. Valentine, representing the dairy division of the Department of Agriculture, Mr. H. L. Beauchamp, chairman of the Rahui Suppliers' Association, and Mr. J. Maher, chairman of the Wellington Dairy Farmers' Association. After an inspection of the factory in conducted parties the visitors were entertained at afternoon tea —with Otaki strawberries and Rahui cream—at the Railway Theatre. Mr. Hislop apologised for the unavoidable absence of the Ministers of Health and Agriculture and expressed the pleasure of the council at the gathering of so many Otaki friends. COMBINATION OF FACTORS. After commenting upon the satisfactory way in which the work had been carried out by the contractor, Mr. M. G. Templeton, and the fine work done by members of the staff, Mr. Hislop spoke of the great increase in the demand upon the city milk system, combined now with the excellent milk-in-schools scheme. To that was added the disappearance from dairy production of big areas of land in the Hutt Valley and elsewhere in the vicinity of the city, so that Rahui had taken on a far greater importance than it had when the scheme was first put under way. The prospects were for still greater expansion and service from Rahui, to the mutual advantage of the Otaki district and of the people of Wellington City. Today, said Mr. Hislop, the schools in the Horowhenua district and the Otaki Health Camp were supplied with pasteurised milk, the school area so served extending as far north as Foxton and Tokomaru and as far south as Paekakariki. Councillor L. S. McKenzie, chairman of the milk committee, added his welcome to the visitors. The milk supplied by the Rahui suppliers for the year ended October 31, he said, amounted to no less than 1,160,000 gallons, at a cost to the council of approximately £53,000, so that the scheme meant a good deal to the district. Approximately four hundred thousand gallons were sent to the city to be sold as whole milk, half a million gallons were separated, and the cream sent to Wellington, and the balance was used in butter making. With the expected future growth of the city demand, the school milk scheme, and the greater dependence upon the Otaki district as other areas went out of dairy production, still greater supplies would be required, hence the large expenditure incurred to provide facilities for the rapid reception, chilling, treatment, and dispatch of milk and cream. Councillor McKenzie voiced the warm appreciation of the City Council and his committee at the loyal cooperation of suppliers, and paid a high tribute to the general manager of the department, Mr. R. E. Herron, and the officers and staff throughout the organisation. Mr. Atmore, Mr. Beauchamp, and Mr. Maher reciprocated the good wishes, Mr. Maher remarking that when the city scheme was inaugurated he had "sat back in the britching" as solidly as anyone, but today he would say that relations had been excellent and every word of any contract entered into had been honoured to the full.