DAIRYING IN WAIKATO

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 352, 12 April 1911, Page 7

DAIRYING IN WAIKATO

CHAT WITH Mil. GOODFELLOW

The movement for establishing a butter factory in Te ku;ti has aroused considerable interest in several quarters, ami a "Chronicle' - representative happening to Lie. in Hamilton recently, asked Air Vv'm. Goodfellow, of the firm of Goodfellow Ltd., what the prospects of dairying were in the Waikato district.

"Tell me, Mr Goodfellow what you are doing in Hamilton." "The growth of butter making at our Hamilton factory has exceeded every possible anticipation. We started in July 1909 by making for that ana the following month 3209 pounds of butter. Up to December 1910 the increase was literally phenomenal— we made then 146,4281b5. In less than two years our output has grown to roughly five hundred tons a year." "How has the drought affected the Waikato?"

"The drought reduced the output to about two-thirds of its volume, but the fact that we draw our supplies from a large area, having varied climatic conditions, has resulted in our retaining a far larger proportion of our supplies than has probably fallen to the lot of other factories. For March the production was 761,821b5, about 34 tons, equal to 40S tons p.a. and well sustaining our average of 500 tons p.a." "How does the home separation method work, after your now lengthy experience of it?" "Very satisfactorily indeed. Of course suppliers adopting this entirely new method had a good deal to learn. We met the difficuly by keeping expert advisers on the road. Our dairy inspector visits suppliers periodically, and makes a thorough examination of their premises and plant, filling out reports which are filed in this office. He is guide, philosopher and friend to suppliers gnerally." "And how has the butter itself been received?"

"The butter has attained a high position in both the London and local markets. The demand in Hamilton and district absorbs about 2£ tons monthly—a very fair proportion of the entire local consumption." "What have the conditions of sale been during the past season "Touse a colloquialism, 'the bottom fell out of the London market' early in the season. First-grade butters were disposed of at figures ranging round 104s per cwt. The establishment of a branch in Auckland, and ths setting up of regular butter rounds in that city and suburbs, diverted supplies into more profitable channels." "And with regard to your payments to suppliers?" "We paid out 10.} d advance during the greater part of the season, in spite of the difficulties of the sales markets. In fact it is only recently that a reduction to 10} d has been made. There is a probability that the conditions of the market during the winter will be such as to not only cover the depreciation of London prices, but leave a satisfactory margin for a bonus payment at the end of the season."

"Have you anything to say about the process of manufacture?" "Only this, that our cream supplies are produced, largely, if not mainly, from machine-milked herds, which means that from start to finish the product is untouched by the human hand. The cream received is rigidly tested and graded, pasteurised, sterilised, and conveyed direct into thd combined churn and butter-worker. It will be seen that this process ensures absolute purity. That is the aim of our factory—to produce a PURE BUTTER."

By the courtesy of the manager. Mr A. R. Valder, the water was shown over the butter factory. Everything was scrupulously clean, and eminently business-like. When the home-separted cream reaches the factory it is immediately sampled and a test is made of the sample lot to ascertain its points of quality. The cream is graded before going to the vats, which have a capacity of 16,0001b5, and is there pasteurised, sterilised, cooled and further cooled by the brine process of refrigerating, and then goes to the ripening vats. From thence it goes into one of the two combined churns and butterworkers, with a capacity of lOOOlbs and ISOOlbs respectively, and duly appears as the finished product, without having been once touched by the human hand. The butter "pounder" cuts it up into neat pound blocks, which when wrapped are well known to retail users of the "Hamilton" brand of butter. The factory has a four-ton Humble and Sons' refrigerator and an ice-making plant capable of turning out a ton a day. A fine "National" suction gas plant of 38 horse power drives the various machines in use. The company has just put down two bores for water, and a pure supply has been tapped which promises to be a copious one when fully developed.