That Co-operative Dairying.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 185, 13 August 1901, Page 3

That Co-operative Dairying.

(To the Editor of the Times.)

Sip.,—Please allow me a few words in reply to Mr W. D. Lysnar. Mr Lysnar has replied or rather tried to reply to the few simple ignorant questions that he says I have asked, but as far as I can see he has not answered one of them, to show that he know’s anything about the subject that he is trying to enlighten the farmers upon ; and he even goes on to give a little more information, based on theory not practice. To answer the last part of

Mr Lysnar’s letter of the 10th inst. first, I can inform Mr Lysnar that I have been milking cows, and not farmers, for the last thirty years, and when Mr Lysnar has had the same experience I will be prepared to accept his advice as an expert. To deal with Mr Lysnar’s letter as written, he says in the first place that I have stated a clear profit where I should have stated a gross profit. Well, I will admit that it is the gross profit, and if Mr Lysnar had been inclined he could have named the Co-operative Factory which had made a gross profit. But he cannot do so ; so he begins lawyer-like to quibble, and cast the blame on some one else. With regard to naming a factory where the average of butter fat per eotv is 250 lbs, he goes on to give the theory of how it is to be done, and to give as an example the exact amount of milk a cow should give. He quotes 4 gallons per day as the amount, which shows that he

always under-estimates, as 2j gallons is the standard set down at cheese factories as the average per cow per day. (Of course, I am alluding to Taranaki, where

they keep the scrubbers of cows that Mr Lysnar saw when he was round there.) And it has been found to be ample vat room. However, theory is far better than practice, Mr Lysnar must think, as he carefully keeps away from naming any factories. Well, Mr Lysnar has named a factory that is reported to have made 1101 b of butter from 1001 b of butter-fat on the average—it is only reported. The Ilia Ora factory is reported to have made 1151 b, but by sad experience I have found that it is only reported. It is like Mr Lysnar’s cow theory—very good in theory but a long way short in practice, and I

can still say that Mr Lysnar cannot name a factory to do so. If the milk is tested to the highest, I will give Mr Lysnar credit for getting near the average test, if he cannot get near anything else ; the average from balance-sheets bofore me run from B*7 to B*B, and I consider Poverty Bay two points better. That brings up the question of the tests, and I can say that the majority of the co-operative factories do not show the highest possible tests, as there is no use, as what is not paid out as the season advances is paid out in dividends, and a factory is able to show a butter overrun, that is butter and butter-fat. For an example, we will say that Mr Smith supplies 70001bs of milk per week, and that milk is tested to its highest, say, 4.0, which would be 2801bs of butter fat, and to produce 1061bs of butter per lOOlbs of butter fat would be 296 jibs of butter. Take the same milk, 70001bs at say, 2 points less than it really contains, that would be 3.8, and it would show 266 of butter fat. It is the same milk as the other, and to make the same quantity of ■ butter would produce 29641bs of butter or llUlbs of butter to lOOlbs of butter fat, and yet some people say that the test has nothing to do with it. This simply shows their ignorance of the matter. Well, to get back to the subject under discussion, Mr Lysnar says I asked him another silly question re the interest charged to the factory. In the Gisborne Times of the

27th of July Mr Lysnar, in summing up the . cost of working a factory, instead of taking 12 months, takes 10 months as tho time interest is charged on tho mortgage or capital. I have asked him where it is to bo had at that rate, and like all the rest of the questions asked, it is still unanswered. I leave the public to decide who is the silliest, tho man who has worked it into his figures, or the man who asks where it is to bo got. The next of Mr Lysnar’s answer is like all the others, and he has tho pluck to admit that he did not mean it, and then goes on to give some more reliable figures about the cost of shipping butter to England. I must say that it is like all the rest of Mr Lysnar’s statements, just about half out, as the following will show. A shipment of butter was sent from Gisborne to Wellington to be forwarded to London when the next weekly lot. came to hand. How-

ever, through some delay, the other lot did not arrive in Wellington in time, so this lot wont forward by itself, and it is just a ton measurement, and sold at a fair average of the season’s butter.

32 boxes shipped from Gisborne on November 21st, 1900.

Total £l2 5 5 The above aro tho charges on 17921b5, which is about 1 5-Sd per lb, that is after being delivered on Gisborne wharf. Add to this, the cost of making boxes, cartage, etc, which is about another ljd, and you have just about 3d per lb from the cart to receiving tho cash at the bank in London. This butter fetched tho highest price in London for finest creamery butter, 101 s per cwt, which is a fraction over lOfd per lb. I will leave Mr Lysnar to give the amount this will clear per cow for the factory proprietors, and I challenge Mr Lysnar or any other porson to say that these are not the ordinary charges. Tho only charge that is affected by quantity is the bill of lading, which would be the same for 130 as for 30 boxes. Perhaps Mr Lysnar will tell me, or for the benefit of the proposed cooperative factory that he is so eager to work up, how he is going to get the butter from tho factory door to the English market for IJd per lb. All I can say, after years of experience, is that it is the most absurd and ridiculous nonsense, and shows that people try to pose as experts when they know nothing. However, I have no doubt Mr Lysnar will twist all these little things round, and show by theory, not practice, that he is right and that I am wrong, and the advice I have to give Mr Lysnar and those who hold that certain things can be had by co-operating together is to get a start ; talk less and work more as the saying goes. There is a golden opportunity dangling at your nose if you have the pluck to accept it. There was no such chance for me when I came here. Apologising for taking up so much of your space.—l am, etc., Thos. McGregor.

[Mr McGregor has forwarded to, the Times Office the account sales for the 32 boxes of butter referred to, and this can he inspected by persons who are desirous of seeing them. —Ed. Times] .

82 boxes, freight 17s 6d, age Gisborne 2s 6il ... wharf- ... dei 0 0 Wharfage, Wellington ... ... 0 2 6 Grading charges ... 0 6 8 Bill of Lading ... 0 3 8 Cartage in Wellington ... ... 0 1 3 Landing charges, freight Dock charges, landing, fir ance ... 5 19 2 e insur- ... 0 8 8 Discount ... 0 13 6 Marino Insurance ... 0 5 4 Commission ... 3 4 8