PLAINS DAIRY COMPANY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5168, 22 August 1927, Page 1

PLAINS DAIRY COMPANY.

annual general meeting.

VERY SATISFACTORY POSITION,

The annual meeting of shareholders of the Hauraki Plains Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., was held at Turua on Thursday last, .the chairman of directors, Mr A. H. Rogeirs, presiding over an attendance of thirty.

REPORT AND BALANCE-SHEET. The annual report and balancesheet as already published was taken as read.

Reviewing the season’s •working, the chairman said that all things had turned out very satisfactorily. The increase of 67 tons lewt of cheese and 7 tons 9cwt of butter over the previous season’s output was very satisfactory indeed, considering the adverse weather which prevailed at the beginning of the season. The improvement in quality was very satisfactory, and under control was noticeable from a financial point of view for the first time. The premium of 3s 4d a crate on finest grade cheese had realised over £BOO, which was almost equal to %d per lb butter-fat. On second grade cheese there was a premium of %d. per lb, but only 15 crates of second grade cheese had been made. It was satisfactory to note that only 15 crates out ofi 17,000 had been made in two years The manager and staff of the factory were to be congratulated on the very satisfactory position achieved. In regard to the selling price of cheese, it was satisfactory to note the recent improvement of the market. He did not desire to comment on the operations of the Control Board or insinuate that .the low prices wero in any way due to its operations. Dealing wtih the future, Mr Rogers said that the prosp’ets for butter were satisfactory, and for cheese very bright indeed. The directors had passed a resolutoin agreeing to sell its output until the end of December at B%d, and while many offers had almost reached that figure the output had not yet been sold. Referring to the cost of manufacture, Mr Rogers pointed out that this had decreased from 4d to 3.81 d per lb. Some items showed an increase due to the increased output- while others showed a decrease. The total cost of production to f.o.b. Auckland was 3.81(1 per lb butter-fat or £l3 5s 8d per ton, as compared wtih 4d per lb during the previous .year. Financially the company was strong. The bank overdraft was about £3OO, whereas seven years ago it was over £15,000. The average grade of the buttei made was 90.52, and that of the cheese 92.7. In seconding the adoption of the balance-sheet Mr H. H. Hicks observed that the cost of the fu«l would be decreased when the Hauraki Bridge was opened and coal could be brought direct from the railway. The motion carried. after a brief discussion on the relative payouts of neighbouring factories. APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS. The next business taken was the appointment of three directors to replace Messrs H. H. Hicks, C. A. Am>ford, and C. K. Fox, who retired by rotation.

The three retiring directors and Messrs W. Taylor and F. Burfoot were nominated and the- ballot resulted a® follows : Fox 138, Hicks 112, Ansford 80, Burfoot 76, and Taylor 21. Messi's Fox, Hicks, and Ansford. were declared re-elected. Mr F. S. Battley, of Auckland, was re-elected auditor. ANNUAL SOCIAL. That hardy old annual, the question of who should be admitted to the annual social on the night of the annual meeting was again brought up and discussed at length. This function was supposed to be for the suppliers, their wives apd families, and sharemilkers and a friend;. The annual argument concerned the number of friends who should be admitted free, and what should be done concerning the uninvited dancers who turned up. Many motions were proposed and allowed to lapse for yvnnt of a seconder, but finally it was decided that the admission be restricted a.s in the past—i.e., limited to suppliers, their families, sha.remilkers, and two friends by ticket. GRADING OF MILK. Another hardy annual, the question of grading the inilk received was brought up and discussed. It was strenuously advocated as being a means of penalising those who did not take sufficient care of their milk, and was opposed as being difficult to woik satisfactorily and being more or less ■unnecessary, considering the very high standard of the product manufactured. VpTE OF THANKS. On the motion of Mr Burfoot a voteof thanks and appreciation was accorded the factory manager and staff for their work during the year. Votes of thanks: to the chairman for presiding and to the directors terminated the meeting.