DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 212, 13 September 1901, Page 3

DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

’CO-OPERATION STILL LAGS BEHIND.

A meeting of dairymen was held at Matawhere on Wednesday evening, to further consider matters in regard to a co-opera-tive factory. The Chairman (Mr K. M. liirrcll) said that the provisional committee had had several meetings. He (as secretary) had wired enquiring as to prices to two or three large firms, receiving replies trom Newton King (New Plymouth!, Nathan (Wellington), and Cowan (Hawern), the latter being agent for a very large butter firm, Love and Christmas. The prices offered by King were an advance of i)Jd to the end' of January, and 9d to the end of March, free on board in Wellington. Nathan offered 9d advance to the end of March, or 9d buying the butter straight out for the season, that was to the end of March, when tho season ended, or six months. Cowan wanted to know when the factory was to be started and other information that was not available/ A sub-committee had been appointed to wait upon Mr Score, seeing that his factory was in tho market; his terms were that the factory could bo bought for £>ooo, or if they 'wanted to rent the factory it would 'he £IOO a year, with a purchasing clause. They went into the cost of production, and thought at first that it was possible, if the cows guaranteed were in a central position, and a sufficient number obtained, they would be Able to give Sd per pound for butter-fat-. Messrs Tuohy and Knights canvassed Fatutahi, Messrs Lange, Lewis, and Walsh Makauri to Waerenga-a : hika aud Makaraka, and the speaker that side of the town. The result was satisfactory in one wav, but unsatisfactory in another. The people who lived at Waerenga-a-hika and Fatutahi insisted on creameries being put at those places, and, of course, the factory was to be in some central position. A number of suppliers about Matawhero stated that if Score’s factory were not bought they would not give their milk. The’numberof cows at Waerenga-a-hika or Patutahi did not warrant a factory being placed at those places. It took £SOO to put up a creamery, and they required- 1000 gallons a day to make that creamery pay. They were 100 short of

iho number of cows necessary at Patutahi. Thcv had only 115 at Waerenga-a-hika, and barely 200 at Matawhero. There was another 70 from the town, and altogether there were 500 cows whose milk would be sent to the cooperative factory, but only with the i-L frictions. There wore sufficient cows obtained to form a central factory, but the expenses would be ruinous, because the stations would be draining the main j factory, and it would be impossible to i giye anything like the price expected, i They had gone carefully into figures, and | allowing for more cows than were given j at first, it was found that it would cost ! -did to manufacture the butter. Taking j 2<d off Old, it would bo impossible to j give Sd. They knew well that if a cooperative factory were started, and turn-

mg out a lirst-elass article, they could command the local supply. The speaker did not know what Mr McGregor was getting, but his butter was selling at Is 3d, and the milk-suppliers were only getting 7d. They could not let the local supply enter into their calculations at

present, and it could not be put down in black and white, but it would be an important factor in future. It was impossible to give 3d per pound the way the cows were, distributed, and all the extra wages that would have to be paid at the skimming stations. If they were going to have co-operation, they would get all there was to be obtained out of it, but to

bind anybody down to a certain price was not true co-operation. They started at o|d here in the co operative system. Last winter, they got 3d, and were going to get 7id in the summer. Did Messrs McGregor and Score give them that ? They had to thank those who were getting up the agitation for it. I f they ceased the agitation the proprietors could come down in their prices and give the milk suppliers whatever they liked, and if the suppliers did not hold together they almost deserved it. There was no

danger or risk because the cheese factory turned out disastrously, but they were not going to live on the errors of the past, and must look to the future. If they would only trust one another, and get a good man to work it, there was no danger in the matter. He had done his snare as provisional secretary, attended all meetings. and done all that was required, lie would he glad to see the matter settled, as it had been no benefit to him or the provisional committee.

Mr Stephenson stated he paid Is t>d a pound for -iOOlbs of butter, which lie scut to the bush, and this putter had to come from Wellington. He asked what would be the cost of working the milk of 000 cows in one factory.

Mr Knights : lid. Mr Stephenson : That would leave at the rate oi' 8d per pound for the Hush of the season, and wo would have the rest of the season to the good. As to the number of cows, Mr Birrell said that Patutahi promised 199, and there might be 30 come in after, while 300 was allowed to be the lowest. About Mataiv he re they had only 176, and they had another 70 in his district, which was 216. Then Waeronga-a-hika had only 115, and as 300 was the miniVnum, they could sco how impossible it was to have skimming stations.

Discussion then ensued as to the expenses of working the butter. Mr Bryant considered it must cost more than 2/,d a pound to produce commercial butter, but the Chairman said that the 10 per cent, gain in turning butter-fat into the commercial article had been taken into consideration in arriving at the cost.

Mr Knight said the only way they could start a factory was on the smallest scale. If they got 200 cows in a central position they could get a plant- for about £7OO. It could be worked by a man and a boy. Mr Bryant : It would cost £l5O a year to work a skimming station. How is it proposed to finance a factory to cost £1000?

The Chairman replied that at the iirst meeting he had stated that the Minister for Lands was a great believer in co-opera-tion, but it was considered by the committee that the red tape of the Government might cause them to lose a good price, and it was thought better to deal with a bank. It would be for the shareholders, however, to say where the money was to be got. He then read a letter from Mr W. D. Lysnar, regretting his inability to attend the meeting, but stating that should there be sufficient inducement to warrant farmers in starting a co-operative factory, ho would be willing to give the movement all the help lie could. He would have 100 cows milking, and would put the milk through the co-operative factory. Mr Lysnar stated he was about to erect a creamery on his own property, but he thought the question of the erection of other creameries should bo left to the board of directors. He trusted that the farmers would show sufficient faith in the movement, and make a start.

Mr Stephenson said it scorned that there was no hope of starting a big factory and two creamciies, but they could have a small factory at £BOO, and what he would propose was that there should be somebody appointed from each district to canvass those who would bo in favor of starting it. There was no use trying to buy Score’s factory, even if they could, as some were going to back out. Mr Bryant: Let the committee select a site, and tho people can decide whether they will supply milk at that place. Tho Chairman said the meeting must understand tho provisional committee from that time ceased to exist. They could not expect the committee to canvass the district again. Mr Stephenson moved that a fresh committee be appointed to consider the erection of a factory in a central place, upon a small scale. —Carried unanimously.

Mr Walsh said one fact ho would like to impress on those present was that the supply meant everything. If they did not have a first-class factory it would doom co-operation. Tho difference between the interest on £IOOO and £2OOO was an insignificant item, and it was a small consideration as compared with the profit on 8001 b of butter.

Mr Stephenson said it meant £2OOO to buy Score’s factory and put up creameries.

Mr Walsh said they wanted a creamery at their back doors ; they wanted all that was in it, and more.

Several were proposod for the new committee, but all declined, the provisional committee considering they had done their share.

The Chairman : The whole business has lapsed. I do not wonder at it. I don’t know how you could expect anything else. He had, he said, spent a 10l of time over the matter. If the people would combine there would bo no trouble. How many did they get at Makauri ?

Mr Lewis : Twenty. The Chairman : Makauri has doomed f-operation.

A vote of thanks was accorded to the Chairman and the provisional committee. Mr Stephenson : It will have to come to co-operation if we wish to keep up with other places.