THE Kawhia Settler FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1905. THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 208, 12 May 1905, Page 2

THE Kawhia Settler FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1905. THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

The dairying industry is the backbone of New Zealand—all other industries pale before it. For years previous to the middle eighties, wool and beef had their day, but no prosperity of an unusual kind obtained ; since that time butter fat has been .king. In 1888 the value of butter turned out from factories was under a quarter of a million sterling, but from that time there has been a steady increase, until now a million and a quarter sterling fs about tbe value o'f the butter exported, to say nobbing of that which is consumed in the country ; the farmer alone is to be thanked for this. The Government, whether Stout Vogel, Atkinson or Seddon, has not helped the farmer very much. It is easily seen by the steady yearly,increase, just such as would occur in any well regulated ousineffs. There have been no abnormal jumps either in quantity or quality; if one year lias been apparently better thafa another, reference need only be made to the weather statistics to find the cause.- Great capital has been made by tbe Government, or perhaps we should say by the Premier, for what has been done by him and his Government. We give him credit for-a few liberal measures, for a few mistakes, and a tew egregious I blunders, but fa' to see that tbe pros--1 perity of the farmer" has been affected beneficially by tbe legislation of tbe ; past twelve years or so ; but rather do j we think that many obstacles have I been been placed in the farmer's track to, not fortune, but existence, and had . be not fought and conquered the bush, the fern and tbe noxious weeds, bis I position would have been a parlous one ■ in spite of all tbe alleged good legislation. Take for example tbe fight tbe i settlers in this district hsive bau, and ! are Laving, and to which many have, I alas, succumbed. How many of the ■ original settlers are now at Te Rau-a-moa ? Few, indeed, but all honour to those who have come through victorious. What has been tbe ally that has stood by them ? Butter fat: nothing else. Some of the settlers there, however,' do not realise that fact, and, as a letter from the secretary Of the | Te Raa a mda Dairy Company in another column shows, are inclined to deprecate the value of the factory because it does not pay better. If those malcontents were to look at the matter from the right light, they would see that tbe expense of running the factory is tbe same whether six hundred or sixty gallons were supplied. Last year tbe factory only ram about half as long as it should have, tbe average daily supply being only 277 gallons. The expense of treating this small supply was so.great that the nett price paid to suppliers only averaged s|d per lb., whereas had about 100 gallons more been supplied per day tbe price would have been 7Ad or perhaps more. Those who held aloof from supplying could easily have made up that quantity and not only have neiped themselves, but also their more enterprising and energetic neighbours. Tbe butter exported was graded in the first class, and realised within Is per cwt. of top price of New Zealand butter op the Home market. For next year 898 nows have been guaranteed, and the milk from this number ought to make the factory highly remunerative. The management of Mr Booseu has been eminantly satisfactory, and few men would have bean able to work under such advene circumstances as hti has done. From present appearances the Te Rau a moa Cj operative Dairy Company, Ltd., will prove a power of good in tbe district next year. But why hive dairying in this district confined to Te Rau a-moa ? When we look at the numerous clearing*

round tbe harbour and think that no metf ’ roads are required to bring lb* milk to the factory, when such a magnificent waterway is present we are in dined to think that setters have hardly yet awakened to the possibiili ties of the industry in this vicinity. The milk could be brought from Mo< utira, Puti, Kawaroa, Oparau* Te Kauri, Tiriliri, Te Awaroa, Rakaunui, Kinohaku and Te Maika—in fact th* bulk qf (he foreshore of the~Kawhib Harbour could be counted on os grass ing lands—to a factory situated at Kti-

wbiii,. which could work the wbol* cheaply and conveniently, whilst th* launches would also find plenty of work in bringing milk. an.d aveptbally cream only. Creameries and factories have multiplied by many times the value of the land ih ,3 very district, without exception, wheire they bftve been established, and people are blind to their own prosperity who do pot support them, wherever they have irit rests iu their respective districts,