N.Z. DAIRY COMPANY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4594, 6 August 1923, Page 4

N.Z. DAIRY COMPANY.

ECONOMY WITH SIZE. EFFICIENT OFFICE STAFF. In answering a question asked by a supplier at the annual meeting of suppliers to the N.Z. Dairy Co.„ Ltd., held at Eureka recently, Mr A. J. Heighway, of the executive staff, gave an interesting review of the efficiency of the head office staff of the company. His questioner, said Mr Heighway, raised the point as to whether any economy had been attained in the administration of the company’s affairs by reason of amalgamation, and also as to the general efficiency attained in the head office itself. It had definitely been found that very decided economies in administration had been effected since the dairy business in the South Auckland province was brought under practically one control, in the days Pi competition it had been found that the cost of administering the business was Id per lb of butter, whereas under ( co-ordinated control the actual cost of administration was only l-5d per lb of butter. To those who sometime:! thought that the company had become unwieldy, Mr Heighway said he would like to give some figures enabling an effective comparison to oe made between the company and some big American organisations. Recently one •of the head officials of Swifts,, of Chicago, had passed through Hamilton, and he had been interested to learn, from this officer that that organisation contained 45,000 shareholders and ' 48,000 employees, of whom 16,000 were actual shareholders in the company itself. The head office staff at Swifts consisted of 1500 hands, who were all employed in the one building. This,, compared with a head office staff of approximately 100', as maintained by the N.Z. Dairy Co., Ltd. After conducting the American visitor through the company’s offices Mr Heighway said he asked his impression of the standard of business ' efficiency in New Zealand in general, ' and of the company in particular, in comparison with the alleged hustle methods of America. The visitor admitted that he could see no difference in the rate of workifig between New Zealand business methods and these < of Ataerica,, and thought that just as ’ much work was actually got through ' here as in the States. 1 Comparing the internal efficiency of the Dairy Company with other orI ganisations in New Zealand, Mr 3 Heighway said that he thought suppliers could rest assured that they 1 had a staff and oragnisation unrival- - led elsewhere in the country. It al--3 ways took time to mould a big organ--3 isation into shape, and possibly there - were occasions in the past four years • when this process of organisation had 3 not run smoothly. But those times I had now gone by, and a very efficient 3 organisation, capitally staffed,, had now been built up which would, hold its own with any other in the Domin-. ’ ion. 3 He felt glad, said Mr Heighway, to 1 make these remarks, because up to 3 the time of joining the company he " had to some extent shared in the ’ idea that the size of the company t limited individual efficiency, but he 1 had been pleasantly surprised 'at what 3 closer association had shown. He 3 could assure suppliers that he had 3 the very highest appreciation for the organising ability and business 3 system that had been applied in the t evolution of the company’s staff. To- • day • the staff was a very keen and highly organised body, and displayed j j the keenest possible interest in the - welfare of the company, in this conc nection a fortnightly evening club - had been formed to consider a syllai bus of technical papers from mem- • bers of the .company’s staff upon aspects of the dairy business. This f club, called the “Round Tabled was i doing very good work indeed in eduj eating the company’s staff upon the . technicalities associated with so complex a business, and it would do suppliers good at any time to attend !• such a gathering and witness the en- . thusiasm and keen interest displayed - by members in their inquiry into the 1 various phases of the company’s work.