LEVIN DAIRY COMPANY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 July 1911, Page 2

LEVIN DAIRY COMPANY.

ANNUAL MEFPFNG

]> VSTEUIUSATION I>T,ANT TO BE INSTALLED.

The annual meeting ol' the Levin Dairy Company was held ye.sterday, Mr James Prouso, chairman of directors, in tho e'lwiir. There were forty-one .shareholders present, ami a. number of absentees sent in tlbeir proxies. "*" In his opening remarks, Mr Pro use spoke of the .advantage to the company of being able to obtain from independent sou roes 'an idoa of the fair selling value of butter each season. Whon big buying lirms went to the expense of sending their iie.prcsontativFs out all riii's way they did not g'n any higher .in tHiei'r buying figures Mian, -they were obliged to go.' and therefore the company was to lie congratulated upon having at its disposal tlvo advices given by the National Dairy Association's agent in Limkloii, who wa.s there at the interests of prod-n----■cors. That age.nt came 'out to New Zealand once a year, and Ims report always was valuable. It aided_ tlie company's directors very materially in forming correct opinions. Lately Mr l'rom-,0 had ihfld an convtM'.sation on this ma tier with. Mr Harkncss, of the National Dairy Association, who had arrived very lately from London, and he believed they" all would find the information ho had gained very useful to them. 'HIM' report and balance sheet woro read. Tho report was as follows: - "To the shareholders. '■Yoiiir directors have pleasure in submitting tlie twelfth annual roporfc and hnlance-slieel. to tho shareholders. "During the past season the huttor has not only retained the good reputation already secured, but Ims added to it. as evidenced by the Palmerston show, where fhampionsh'ip honours woro obtained, besides other prizes won there and also at Hawera. "The- season ihas been successful in tho smooth running of the factory, and a long-felt roc|iiireuiont — the erection of a creamery at Kiniherley road was supplied in Eebruary. This has ])roved a great boon to Ihe farmers in t,lvat neighbourhood, and, with M;o expected accession of suppliers in tho near future, promises to bo an uiifjualified success.

".After providing for depreciation of machinery and buildings, there remains a profit of CH> !).s !>d. This may appear small, hut, take.ii wit lithe condition of the Hritish market , , and the endeavour to give, the suppliers as large a return as warranted by paying as much monthly a.s possible will explain the reason of it not 'being larger. "The cost of the new creamery has fallen on the capital account, which would otherwise have shown a, larger increase. I ''The whole plant has been and is being, carefully looked alter and kent in first-class order. ''The latest information has been sought from the. Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture, relative to the pasteurisation of skim milk. This will be laid before you. and should, because of its impor- | taiiice, have your most ear-nest ati tout ion. ''"\ mi will be required to elect three directors. Messrs Arnold. I Hrond'bolt. and R. .A. Kolston retire bv rotation. will seek reelection. Mr Kred Holier is also a candidate. Vnii will aK 1 o lie rcduired to elect a-iHiturs. Mr J. G. | Scott and Messrs Gold and Arcus j offer th'.'msc'ves f;>r re-election. I ''.(aine- Proii.se. Okiinna-n of Dii rectors. I "Levin. July R!h. 1911." Kiguros from the bala!iee-shor>t show that d-iiriiiL' l.he war the milk suppliers d'w f:18.2-!7 8s lid. awl j in wairos tho sum of CI lIS 13s lid ; Avas expended. Maintenance (-barges j totalled Cl?" 27s 1 Or!, carting and in- ! ward C2OO ;"s 7d. boxes Gil -"5 j (is ; ">d, firewood '208 17s Od. interest J (lisco'Mvt and Q'M , .) Vis Dd. i Koi , H>7~) \v:is written ioff. The to(.al. inclusive of £lli !)s i !)d lialauce, \v:i< C:22.ii()7 Kis Bd. On i the receipts side the chief item avhs I t22.V.)'l Kis. from val<--s of butter, i Ohe-esosales yielded CW) 7s Jld. rent I til):* 1.7s or!, ;:,:<! transfer fees CI I los fid. ! The repoit and balance-sheet were ! received, on tin l motSn of Mr A. (!. ! McDonald, socanded bv Mr Chris. Olson. They were adojitcd on tho innfci'on of the Cl-airman, secon , !od bv Mr }'\ M. Kingdom Discussion look p!ar-e regarding j unpaid culls, and tilie opinion Avas j expiT.s-sed by Mr Fred Hotter that it would be well to forfeit a few shares. This might induce prompj tor p;!\inent. The chairman thought it Avoiild be well to get t!k\se s'l-irts taken up by hotter people. There Avas no :!ffubt thai th-t-y Avculd be giood in-vostine-nl*:. Some of the |)resent holders Avere rot to be found. The secretary had s; - iit out sixteen notices and had not- found a. single one of the people they were addressed to. In a further reference to the company's affairs. Mr f'rouso iiumitioiierl that he believe:! the-com-pany's Levin lands A\oro Avorth every ponnv of C.'iOOO. Land in the vicinity had sold at L'7"> per acre. TM!<: A('I)ITOR.S. T'he aiu'iiturs (Messrs Gold and Art-US and Mr .]. G. Scott), aawo reelected (at the same remuneration .as was given last year), on the mo-' tion of Mr A. J. Arnold, seewkfod bv Mr J. D. Hrown.

The report of the au:iit:;rs was as follows : ~ Levin, 7-tli July, 1911. The Shareholders, Levin Co-operative Dairy CJo., Ltd., Levin. Dear Kirs, ---We liavp to report (hat no provision has been made in ilto profit and loss account for the year ended Mist May, Ml/ for loss arising from had debts. We. would reeoininend that shares on which calls are in arrears for any length of time b;> forfeited. In. wir opinion the amount ito he written off in future years .should be increased. have pleasure in testifying to the very capable manner in which tie hooks have been kept by the s 'Tctary to the company, Mr T. Brown." It is quite the exception to find such well kept books, and accounts, in .good order. The auditors' reference to the secretary's work evoked applause. Regarding the auditors' reference to bad debts, the chairman remarked that a very close watah was kept over the company's customers, and there wa.s very little risk of bad del its. P A.STKU I' 1 SAT! OX. The chairman road a letter from ilr J). Cuddle, Director of Dairy Produce under the Department, in which it was stated that the Department could now recommend "with every confidence," that dairy factories sh'nuld adopt this principle. The letter also dwelt upon the benefits derivable from pasteurising skim milk, and showed how the cost of doing so was very little. The whole of the advice given in the letter was based upon long practical experiments'conducted at the Glen Orona. Dairy. Mr A .C. McDonald told t'he meeting that he had followed very closely tho experiments at Glen Omnia, and ho was convinced that the -pasteurisation of skim milk should" be gone in for. ■ His calves had been greatly benefited hy a diet of pasteurisation. Mr James Pro-use gave similar testimony. He had now fifty calves and they were the finest lot over he ha'd—and their condition was due to pasteurised skim milk, In a n incidental reference to "scour" in ihe said that lvsol fa tcaspoponful for a dose, in jnillc, given at two or three = days' interval) 1 , was a certain cure,

Mr P. E. Palmes said lie wrote to tho Agricultural Department lor a remedy for scour, and he was recommended to give a tnblespoonfnl of lysol. H© did so, and in an hour the calf was dead. . (Laughter). The chairman: Yes; a teaspoonful is ainpi o. Mr J. D. Brown expressed the opinion that although lysol would cure scour it would, seriously injure the stomach. He was too severe. He thought a gcod cure for scour, as long as the trouble was taken in time, was to give a little dried blood. The chairman said that remedy was right for one sort of scour, but it would not do for the scour tivat was ca,nscd by the presence of worms in the third stomach of the calves. Tt was for that kind of scour that lysol was necessary. In a reversion of the discussion to pasteurisation, mention was made of the fact that for nigs especially t!ie pasteurised milk was exceptionally good. The cost of establishing a skim milk pasteurising plant at the factory was estimated at GGO to C7O for each creamery, but the directors had hopes of doing it cheaper than that. Mr A. J. Arnold supported pasteurisation of milk at tk-e factories. He believe/l a great deal of the spread' of tuberculous disease arose from the mixing of skim milk (\\npastenrised), at the factories. The guarantee of clean ni</s and clean calves would be worth a lot of money to the farmers of this district, and ho believed the expenditure of £G0 or C7O, though it seemed great, ■would pay the company very well. Tn any case the cost would pomp back to the fanner; if the baron companies made big losses through condemnation <"»f carcases they would (lit down their purchasing prices. He stronglv urged the farmers to consider the matter very seriously. (Applause). Mr P. ft. Palmes said the oasto'irisaticn of milk was compulsory in Denmark, and he commented that \rhei> :"i 'ild-O'nblisbod dairy country liVp tint re<ra'-r!c-cl the matter in this light there should be no hesitation bv a voting country such as this in fallowing the example of the older one. Mr Fred Hotter moved "That this meeting expresses a desire that the directors shall instal pasteurising plants at the factorv and all the creameries." Tt might, bo said, seem a big oyppnse to undertake, but he thought it would be only a case of taking money from one nocket and putting it in another. Mr Death asked if the boiler rapnritv would be sufficient. Mr A. C McDonald s-conded tho motion. The day was near bv when all cows would bave to bft tested for tuberculosis; and in that dav the stock reared 'on pas-' ton vised skim milk would lie the ones to prove profitable. Even it was necessary to instal new boilers at all th" creameries he thon.dit tlie expenditure would be justifiable. The chairman said there was amnio boibr canavitv at Levin and Tiinton. and it would V nerc.w.rv. he thought, to have ruVHtions made at Oil an, Kerern ind Kimberlev. Mr Retter's motion w:is carried unanimously, and. with applause. THE DIRECTOR ATE.

Messrs E. E. Smith. W. Beeehor. T. M. Kingdon, and T. Brown acted as scrutineers of the ballot for election of the directors. The retiring directors were Messrs .Arnold. Broadhelt and It. A. Eolstoii. They offered themselves for re-electi'on, and Mr Fred. "Retter was also a candidate. Messrs Broadbelt. TC&tter, and Rolston were declared dulv elected.