THE MAKINO CREAMERY.

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 136, 6 May 1893, Page 2

THE MAKINO CREAMERY.

TO the editor OF THE STAn. Sir, — I notice in your issue of May 4th a letter signed " F. J. Hedge," re the Makino Creamery. I have no intention of engaging in a newspaper war, but I feel the letter of Mr Hedge demands a reply. I perceive Mr Hedge has misquoted figures (I hope not wilfully), and his letter states my object is to keep butter down to 7d. I may here state, I would not at present enter into a contract with the best of dairies at over Cd per pound, but for good separator I have been paying B<l per pound all last summer. I have several hundred pounds worth of this butter in stock, which I shall be glad to sell to Mr Hedge at Bd, and throw in the kegs. Mr H. states that there is plenty of margin between Mr Corpe's 6d and lOd, which the factories are getting. If Mr Hedge considers himself qualified to write on the subject he should know that 3d per gal. of 111 b for milk means over 7^d for the butter ; add to this Jd per lb fer the box, Jd for freight to Wellington, ]d for wharfage and other charges, brings it to 8d f.0.b., Wellington. Add to this 2d per lb for freight and other charges to London, which brings it up to lOd per lb or 93s 4d per cwt. Now, last summer not one half of tho factory-butter fetched 100s ; thia leayes, at 100s*, 6s 8d per cwt to pay all working expenses, interest on capital, and taking all risks. But, Mr H. may say, butter will go up. I think not, and my reason for believing so is from the fact that a large quantity of butter will bo shipped to Great Britain next and following years. Canada is going in for butter-making on a large scale, and Denmark's out-put of butter has increased in nine years from 19,000,000 lbs in 1884 to 80,000,000 in 1892. I may state, in closing, I have no great craving lor the settlers' milk at Makino, as the quantity is so small. If they fee) disposed to start a cooperative factory I will give them all the assistance I can. I am, etc., W. W. Corpe. TO THE EDITOR OF THK STAn. SlB, — I saw in your correspondence columns on Thursday a letter signed by " F. J. Hodge," re the proposed Makino Creamery, and although, perhaps, I hardly agree with him as to the absurdity of Mr Corpe's terms, it does seem to me it would be a much better plan for the dairymen of the district to club together and form a co-operative company on the same lines as the Cheltenham Factory so that they themselves would reap the middle-men's profit. There is little doubt in my opinion, that if any influential man would take the matter in hand there would be little diffiiculty in getting substantial support from the settlers. To my mind Mr Corpe's refusal to take the milk on Sundays would bo quite sufficient to render his scheme unworkable, Supposing a man to be milking a large number of cows, would it be worth his while to keep a plant on hand to convert the one day's milk into butter aud also to find a market for its disposal ? lam, etc., Arthur Deumeb.