Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1884. THE NEWBRIDGE CHEESE FACTORY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 131, 13 November 1884, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1884. THE NEWBRIDGE CHEESE FACTORY.

This, following account of the auc'_^pfitttiiljSt'lihlLthrt'' n nt nt"J f»|niai'<ii-.irtt>. af.. a cheese Factory m, Victoria we condense fi pm an account given by the agricultural reporter of the Australasian. The place where the Factory is situated is not marked on the latest map, of Victoria we have m our possession; but judging from the de>crip. N t.i<an gi v ,en of /its we should say that it is about due west . of Sandhurst, and fully ten miles from a railway station. We desiie to call especial attention to the fact that if f& Factory of this description can succeed 1 so well m Victoria when situated nearly 200jniles irotn tjie metropolis and seapbrT, auct 10 miles or more from the nearest railway station, a factory sjich^as it is% proposed to establish before long we hope m or near Palm erston, with the special advantages it would thns have of proximity to a railway station and within easy communication of a large market and seaport like Wellington should answer equally aa well,; and, indeed ought tx> pay better. Experience is, better,, than theory. Cheese factoiies have been successful m America and elsewhere, and wri- . A t6fcfj &j» /often' engag&j m ,;»roving ; theoretically that they would be profitable m this colony. It is diffk cult, however; to introduce a . new! >ysfcei»v and; it must be, admitted t!mt cheese factories have not. become so general m Victoria as might have been .1 expected. .-Tin New Zealand they were not introduced until long after they had been tried m Victoria, and yet the Ronthern colony, threatens to leave us far behind m the adoption 'of the modern system ;of dairying. Our slowness to adopt a system calculated to be of vast, advantage to ourrdaicying interest must be attributed jto an excess of cautiousness. ;Thejpriffi» will not make us. take action. ~%e nuist be thoroughly convinced by experience before we will bestir ourselves. -Nominee i» :so inuoh calculated to bi ing about this .conviction m favour ' of cheese ■ .factories .> as, the; success of those •w.hpV.ihaye,, given the system a faiV trial m our midst. Failures may be the result of bad management, but success cannot be obtained ,undt>r unfa voi?ra,bje;circumstance,g. , The Newbridge iuctoi;y has been a success, aud ' it proves that " , the factory system is suitable for the requirements and conditions of the colony. The Newbridge -cheese factory was formed nearly four years ago, and is now carrying on its fourth season's operations. The soil m the district is rich, and years ago it early attained a repiita- , turn for grain-growing ; tbekeepfog j -of hordes, cattle, and.sheep was after- j wards added, but dairying was soon j found to posses many drawbacks, arid the markets' became glutted, arid j nieces, so k>w as, to render the large \ ' abifoteki o/)iasour reared Mnremit7ia', : rat&oe fu .A' factory wo«~ spoken 6f> •mi vaporous efforts made to form a ,<-.0-operatiye company among t,he faritt^k, v^h;6'v(rould thus obtain a price for iljeir niilk and a share m tho pib- " fit* of the ' factory. The effort ■ wag UMSueoessfol, but six genilemeri took the matter up, and fprmeda company on their own account. The company consisted o£ the manager and ' practical cheese-n»aker, Mr R. Brooks, and five business men of the district:^ After paying wages, the manager's

salary and all expenses, the factory gavo a handsome interest upon the capital invested. Large piofits were made the very first season, and highly satisfactory returns have been received ever since up to the present time. A description of the buildings and appliances and mode of manufacture follows, and the report concludes thus :--" The price paid for milk is 4d per galloq. This is live- average price. At exceptional times. ihe rate has been higher and lower, but 4d per gallon is the present rate, and may be taken as the average. It is a price at which the factory can make a profit, and that, the rate is satisfactory to farmers tnaj be inferred from the fact that the number of snppliets is inoceasing 1 . The American system j is adopted of allowing the fairness to take back thia wheyv From the vats th^ whey runs into a large tank, and the farmers pump out the quantity . to which they are entitled; according to the niilk which they supply. There are at present 30 fanners supplying milk, the number , having gradually increased. It is found that the price is a fair one, and that there is an advantage m being saved fhe trouble of making cheese on the farm. Many^rni^rs are |6tti|(g t)ieir whpat fiej ds .£>ut into paßtuire owing to the : permanent outlet for milk opened jup by the factory. The cows aro gener- \ ally= fed inpou ■ .the", qutuY&l pastures, , ; an,d the returns are very satisfactory. i Mr Brooks stales iliat, m one year,, _he paid a ccustomerr r £300- iojc ,n>ilk, wlueh was ( tlie produce of , prijy |30 cows, fodon the naturwl g^ass. The . factoipr is Tcept going , i,\\ ' Vbe y^au round, and it is probable '"that the, creamery system will be adopted pre long, so thpt both butter aqd phepse 'can be manufactured; When the lbw price of wheat m taken into account ib certainly be advisable ito establish such factories m various ' parts <if the coiony.*' ' JJt is only necessary to add that the Newbridge Factory cneese has 6b-; tainecl nuoierous prizes m the various Victorian Shows, and , always, com-r. mands* the highest ' priced m the market.. ' i