Mr Corpe's Butter Factories

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 213, 13 January 1894, Page 2

Mr Corpe's Butter Factories

It always gives us great pleasure to place on record any enterprise that is of benefit to farmers, and consequently to all classes, and to all sorts and conditions of men It will be remembered by the older residents, that Mr W. W. Corpe, of Makino, has been taking an active interest for some years past in the exportation of butter from this district to England. It was Mr Corpe's custom to purchase butter in any quantity from, chiefly, the small duiry farmers and to export it ; but in order to keep pace with the times, Mr Corpe conferred a still further benefit on small farmers who were struggling to gain a competency, for it is worthy of mention that this gentleman bought butter and opened up an export trade during a very dull time in New Zealand. The benefit referred to is that M r Corpe, after consulting the farmers, opened factories last spring at Makino and Campbelltown, also a creamery at Stanway, and they may now be considered to be in full swing. The Makino factory was converted from a butter packing establishment, and the first factory butter made by Mr Corpe was at this place, from cream taken from Campbelltown, the factory there at that time not being quite in working order. The first shipment consisted of 40 boxes (one ton) and -was forwarded to London, by the Doric, from Lyttelton last September. A few days ago Mr Corpe received advice of its arrival in first-class order, and sale of this shipment, from his brother, who is Mr Corpe's agent in London, and who considers this, which was virtually a trial shipment, a very successful commencement. Mr Corpe's (of England) own words in referring to this butter, the "Milkmaids " brand, in the letter are : <; It is equal to any I have ever seen from JSew Zealand or Australia. I believe it will make a mark." This is a most satisfactory result, and is an opinion worth a great deal as this gentleman is an expert of high standing. A second shipment of 200 boxes was sent by the Tongariro, and shipments are sent away every fortnight, aggregating about 500 boxes a month. On the 6th inst. 350 boxes were shipped by the Duke of We-t---minster and on the 18th another consignment of 250 boxes will be sent away by the Rimutaka. From Campbelltown the butter is carted three times a week, and twice in moderate weather, to the Longburn station in time to catch the early train to Wellington where, on its arrival, it is taken to the freezing works, where it is frozen and afterwards placed in cold chambers ready for shipment. With regard to the freezing chambers, it might be mentioned that Mr Sawers, Government dairy expert, in his report on the dairy industry of the colony, recommended that they should be built at the different parts by the Government. This is a most important requirement, but the Government has done nothing in this respect as yet, it being left to private enterprise to provide the required A cool storage. Mr Sawers' report is considered by Mr Corpe to be a first-class one and full of useful information, as it deals with the dairy industry in a practical manner. It might not be out of place to give an idea of how the factory at Makino is worked. First of all the milk is carted to the factory in cans, and these are lifted from the carts by a crane on to a platform, where the milk is weighed and then put into what is called a receiving tank, the top of which is about level with the platform. From this tank it is run into a heater, which has a false bottom which enables steam to be continually passing under the milk, and it is by this process heated, according to the weather, up to the degree of warmth when it is taken from the cow. A tap is turned and the milk is run through the heater into an Alexandra separator, where the milk and cream' are separated, the milk running away into a tank outside the building from where suppliers pump their share of skim milk and return home rejoicing. The cream flows into cans, and is then placed in vats containing cold water till it has ripened, which process takes 24 to 26 hour?. The cream is churned every morning, and twice on Mondays, in a square box churn capable of churning about SOOlbs of butter. This process takes from twenty minutes to an hour and a quarter, according to the weather. When churned, the butter is placed on a large worker, which holds about 1 121 bs at a time, and after being salted is packed in 56-lb white pine boxes, which are lined with parchment paper. After the butter is packed and the boxes branded the latter are placed in a concrete cellar under the factory to keep cool previous to putting on the railway in specially built cool trucks, for Wellington. The water used in this factory is obtained from a well 45 feet deep, and the hot water required is obtained by means of steam pipes. The whole machinery is driven by a 6-horse power vertical " Robey " engine. It is Mr Corpe's intention to fit up butter driers in his factories, and to bore for artesian water at Makino next winter, when the factory will not be worked as the supply of milk will not be sufficient to keep it going. There are about twenty suppliers who send milk to this factory and about the same number take milk to the creamery at Stanway, from which place the cream is carted, » distance of about four miles, to the Halcombe railway station in time to catch the first tram to Makino, where it is churned. About 700 gallons of milk a week are separated at Makino and 550 at Stanway. The total of 3000 lbs of butter is made at the Makino factory each week. Mr Wr Turner assists Mr Corpe in the management factory. The CarapbeJlfcown factory, under the supervision of Mr Drake, puts through between 1600 and 1700 gallons of milk from forty-three dairy farmers with an increasing supply. Like the Makino factory, there is a churning every morning, except on Mondays when there are two. Mr i Corpe, being a firm believer in taking A Su uday as a day of rest, does not allow M his factories to be worked on that jfl day, and that is why there are two^H churnings on Mondays. The quautit^^H of butter macte at Campbelltown j^^M 40001bs a week and the brand is " j^^H top." J^^H To pay 3d per gallon for inilk,^^^^| cover working expenses, butter fetch^ 112s in the English u^^^^^l Mr Corpe is a great benefactoi^^^^^H

district, as he distributes many hundreds of pounds sterling each month and he is deserving of success. The following quantities of milk were received during the month of December : — Canipbelltown factory, 44,231 gallons; Makino factory, 16*524 gallons ; Stanway creamery, 13*200 gallons ; total, 73,955 gallons— for which Mr Corpe paid 3d per gallon, or £924 8s 9d.