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Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 79, 30 September 1896, Page 2

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The third annna? meeting of shareholders in the Cheltenham Co-operative Dairy Company was held in the Chelteaham Hall last evening. There was a fair attendance considering the very mrffc-mr-able state of the weather, some thirty shareholders being present The chairman of directors, Mr W. Mitchell, presided. The secretary, Mr R. C. Templer, having read the notice calling the meet, iag, the minutes of she last ft»nnaT meeting (which was the fif th half yearly meeting) held on September 25th. 1895, and the minutes of the special meeting held on the same date, were read and confirmed. The report and balance-sheet (details of wbich have already been published) were read. Mr Mitchell moved, and Mr John Barrow seconded, That the report and balance-sheet be adopted. Mr W. Morton wanted to know what there was to show for the increased overdraft from £2195 for last year to £2239 this year. He did not see how they could bring out a credit balance when the overdraft was increased. If the company was paying its way the overdraft should be redaced. The chairman explained they had a iot of accounts outstanding last year, while they had none this year, and that their ac&ual indebtedness was less this year than last. Mr Morton said that in 1898 the overdraft was .£424, in 1894, ±'1827 ; in 1895, i' 2195; and in 1896, £2239; and stall there was a lot of money paid in shareshe wanted to know where the money went. The chairman replied that they had been continuously adding to their plant* a new engine, pomp and other having been put in this year. Mr F- Dowdle asked what the 2§ per cent was for (referring to the report,, in which it was stated next season's output had been sold at 9d per pound, leas 2£ per cent, f.oJi_ Wellington. The chairman replied that it was for the agent's commission in RTtgT*wfj r In reply to Mr Morton, the chairman stated they could pay out ?|d during the coming season fe*kmg the milk supply as the same quantity as last year, bat tbey could pay moreif tbey received more milk. The expenses wonld bft very little extra if the snpply- was doubled. In reply to a question from Mr Soothe© the secretary read the details of ther item £105 13s for rates, insurance,, etc-, appearing in the balance-sheet. The report and balance-sheet were then adopted. On the motion of Mr W. P. JH. Banks, and seconded hy Mr F. Dowdle, it was resolved that Messrs G. P. Chnrch and E. Goodbehere be re-elected auditors at : the same remuneration as last year. The retiring directors were Messrs W. Mills and F. Spencer. Ms Mills was soelected and Mr G. Revington Jones was elected to till the other vacancy. These were she only nominations. Mr Spencer said he did not deartet to seek re-election to the office. His reasons for not doing so woe that he thought those supplying large guantxhea of milk were the men who shooM hare representation on the cbreetorateand h» did not intend going in for dairying It was not for want of support front &£» codireccors that he dropped oot, me they had always rendered every assistant--*. Mr MtTTs thanked the a h < "rfrff a fa''n*ff*r their confidence ht re-electing him, and, in doing so, urged suppliers to keep ap the supply of milk through winter- To hold their trade it was necessary to keep the factory going throughout the year, but it came hard on a few suppliers. If the interests of the faefcosjwere studied all should try to milk aD. the year round. Mr W. Cuningham. moved that a voteof thanks be accorded to Mr Spencerfor the trouble he had taken m CQfHWtTfln with starting tiie factory and xta management up to the present. Mr Tappen seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr Spencer thanked the shareholders. for the vote. Although he had aot started dairying here himself, he felt sure it would be a success. Ifc might be rough at first on those wha went into it* but so were other things afc tttestartThe farmers were going hxto dairying; slow ly , and wisely so. Headffeed them: to go into ali-the year-round dairying, and stated that all the company wanted was milk. & reference to a eomparatwa monthly report would slow that theo was an improvement in the position: of the company. In reply to Mr Southee, the chairman said the question of potting ht tk. differ* ent class of separator was under conaderation, and they were collecting information as to the best maka; That the directors would consider tfae practicability of testing the milk at toe creameries. In reply to Mr Morton, the manager' Mr Niccoi (at the request of the chairman) explained that in the ease of samples of mflfc for testing being churned in transit from the creamery to ths factory it would be a direct loss to supplier ; he did not often: have samples 1 churned. It was mostly the suppliers fault that the samples churned by iheir supplying bad milk. When, he got bad samples he took four or five back testa and struck an average, if suppliers brought a better quality of mftfr the difficulty would be got over. Mr Southee was of opinion that the bad tests were notalways the fault of the supplier but might be traced to the carting to the factory from, the creamery. He was not satisfied with the testing or the separators, and if these were better they might get more butter. Mr Mills suggested that Mr Southee should get a Babcock tester and test for himself. The chairman said that if suppliers aerated their milk they would get better results. Mr Coningham said that Mr Wallace* of Waitnna, had an Alexandra separator and he got better results from that than he got front the factory for the same milk. The chairman said experts Had told them there was a loss of 10 par cent on the butter fat somewhere, but they should be careful in getting new separators. The output of butter coincided with the test. Mr Spencer pointed out that their butter was one of the purest manufactured in New Zealand. Itcontaxnedless watar by 1 or 2 per cent than the average butter, and they always gave good weight. If they took more ligiiidfEt and put ifc into the batter they wonld have an inferior article. If one supplier was losing in the test somebody would be gaining, but their accounts did not show that. Forevery lOOibsof butter Cat as shown by the Babcock tester they got lOOlbs of batter within half a Ib. The information tbat they should getllOlheof butter for lOOibs of batter fat included foreign matter, such as water and salt. Then, the reasons they did not shew a. 10 per cent gam were that they gave up. to 5 per cent better weight, the butter was 1 or 2 percent drier, and they salted about 3 per cent lighter thau the average factory* Wbeii they have been longer in the dairying and had more milk and bette? cows they would show better results. In reply to a question, the secretary said this factory made a pound of butter out of 23 1-lOth lbs of milk fcr the sasM. period that the Rongotea factory shewed* stresrffe of 227-Stb.lbs. Hehadmafe. a comparative tebte of tt» xesutiifix:

the y<-ar-» 189;. aud io9.i, auo ibe kulor show an improvement. On the motion of Mr W. G. Pearce, seconded by Mr B»nks, a vote of thanks was accorded to the manageri Votes of thanks were, also, accorded to thn directors, the chairman, and the secretary for past services. Mr Bruce returned thnnks on behalf of the directors ; and Messrs Mitchell, Templer, and Niccol (the chairman, Becretary, and manager, respectively) also thanked the shareholders for the Tote. The meeting then terminated.