The Opunake Times FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 1895. DAIRY FACTORIES.

Opunake Times, Volume II, Issue 79, 5 April 1895, Page 2

The Opunake Times FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 1895. DAIRY FACTORIES.

There is a considerable amount of unrest and speculation amongst milk suppliers as to the prospects of the industry for the next season. Messrs Reynolds and Co. have acknowledged their venture in the business to be a failure, and are appealing to the suppliers to help them out of their difficulty. In some instances the assistance has been granted, and in others not. It may have been wise on the part of suppliers to grant the concession, but it establishes a very bad precedent. When a firm contracts to give a certain price to suppliers, it should be prepared to stand a loss, if such should eventuate through a fall in the market, in the same way that it would most certainly put in its cofiers any extra profit which might accrue through a rise in price. There is apparently very little doubt that a very large profit was made out of dairy produce during the preceding two or three seasons, or there would not have been such a rush into the business on the part of speculators. Now, when these speculators have got bitten, they come whining to the suppliers to share the loss with them ; or possibly, for all the suppliers know to the contrary, asking them to stand the whole loss, the syndicate being satisfied if they come out of it with their own. The cry has been raised that it is Danish and other foreign competition that has caused the loss, and thus all the blame is endeavoured to be shifted off the shoulders of the manufacturing syndicates in the colony. Then, again, they seek to lay a share of the blame on the grading which takes place. From personal observations, we are quite satisfied that these causes are merely minor ones, and that the real cause is in the manufacture and want of regard of sound business principles. The industry during the past few years has grown very fast, but the means of dealing with the supply has not kept pace with it. The most antiquated methods are still employed in the factories, and there is a total lack of conveniences for dealing with the increased supply. Managers of individual factories must be at their wit’s ends in the summer to carry on their work at all, and when, with such contrivances at their command, they are forced from day to day, Sunday included, to try and keep up with their work, they must naturally get thoroughly disgusted with it; and feeling that the employer is satisfied with any sort of an article, it is not unreasonable that they should become less careful, which all tends to bring down the quality of the article, and thus kill the goose that lays the golden egg. It has been stated over and over again that nothing but a first-class article will be accepted on the London market in the butter line. This may be a fact for all we know, but wo do know that for a number of years they have bought and paid for butter shipped from the colony, which no local grocer would think of offering to his customers for local consumption; and if their perception is so very keen, then we must say that it has taken them a long time to discover faulty, fraudulent stuff. The milk suppliers have hitherto been content to accept an agreed price for their milk, and, once delivered to the factory, have been totally regardless of what became of it thereafter. This policy is simply suicidal. If, through faulty manufacture and a reduction in price, (he syndicate has to close the factory doors, they can turn the floating capita; into some other channel which will be more lucrative ; but in what position will the suppliers find themselves ? The syndicate may have £SOO or £6OO invested in a factory, whilst the suppliers to it have GOO cows or more, worth between three and four thousand pounds, besides their land, buildings, conveyances, utensils, It is a very small matter to the syndicate to let £SOO worth of

property lie idle, waiting a turn in the tide, but it means ruination to the dairyman. Therefore where they have such a huge stake in the industry, they would act wisely in having a greate r say in its management. In order to manufacture a saleable article, so as to compete with the market, up-to-date appliances and methods must be used, and the supplier, who really has the ball at his foot, and the greatest interest in it, must see that suah are provided. The present system of attempting to make butter at each fictory is hardly workable. If there were a central butter factory established, and the adjacent and conrenienf factories converted into creameries, and the cream conveyed to the central factory, where a refrigerator could he established aud proper conveniences for the output of a first-class article provided, we are sure it would be much more satisfactory. The next thing required is the establishment of better and more confidential relations between the suppliers and the manufacturer, The manufacturer wants to be on such a footing with the suppliers that he should be amply repaid for his services and capital invested, but that if in any season more than a stipulated advance is obtained, clear of expenses, the suppliers should get a benefit from it; and then, should the turn of the wheel bring adversity, the suppliers would be more prepared to meet him in sharing the loss ; or if they should get the whole of the surplus, they would have to be prepared to stand all the loss. The most suppliers can expect to get is what the article produces, minus expenses, whether this is above or below a fixed price as an advance, to enable suppliers to live whilst the manufacture and realisation are proceeding. It is now for the suppliers to take the matter into serious consideration, as it is no use leaving it till the eve of opening the season, when they must perforce take whatever may be offered to them.

An inJ.xmnding notice from the Rahotu poundkeeper appears in this issue. Mr Newton King notifies enteries for his stock sa.'e, which takes place on Tuesday next.

We understand that new suppliers coming to the Puaehu Dairy Factory only receive 2d per gallo: i for their milk.

The Minister of Lands has declined to permit Palmerston North to take the name ol Manawatu.

The S. VI., Court is sitting at Opunake today, Mr Brabant, S.M., presiding. There is a large number of cases set down for hearing.

A man named Charles Nicholson has been arrested in Wellington on a charge of causing the death of a woman named Annie Friend.

Mr G. W. Gane has left a sample of a new grass, called Mamia grass, which we have on view at our ‘office for any farmers who take an interest in such matters to see. The Rev G. T. Marshall will hold service at Rahotu a 1 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday instead of Thursday. This will be Mr Marshall’s last visit there prior to leaving the district.

Advice has been received in Dunedin that of the 120 sheep sent away by the steamer Buteshire, for London, only two died on the voyage.

The Royal Oak Gold-Mining Company, of Hauraki, with a capital of £IOO,OOO is being floated in London. Half of the shares have been subscribed.

Messrs Ambury Bros have a replace advertisement in this issue notifying arrival of autumn and winter goods, which they now have on show at New Plymouth and also at their Manaia branch.

At a meeting of the Davenport Borough Council, a resolution was passed against tho present sy tem of charitable relief. Its contiibutions now amount to 25 per cent of the revenue.

“ It is nut creditable that the business of a body like the Education Board of Hawke’s Bay should be rushed through with indecent haste, so as to enable some of its members to attend a race meeting.”—Exchange. Leading Australian Shipowners estimate a loss of £2OOO on the voyage if they charter a cattle steamer to carry 900 at £6 per head. Many of the steamship companies intend to tender for the carriage of Victorian produce to the English market. A meeting of those interested in the fund for procuring a memorial tablet to the late Mr John Newman will bo held at Kennedy’s Hotel on Saturday week. There are about £l2 in hand and several subscriptions unpaid, and it is desired by the promoters to get the matter fixed up and effect the object for which the money was raised. In another column we re-publish a report of a meeting at Bell Block re starting a cooperative dairy factory by w’hich it will be seen that during this season at the Frankley Road Factory it has taken only an average of 2 l-sth gallons of milk to make a pound of butter. It is a common belief that it took nearly three gallons. We give a reminder of the gift auction which takes place at Awatuna on Wednesday next in aid of the fund to pay off the debt on the Town Hall at that rising township. There has been a good programme prepared for the concert on the occasion, which will be followed by a dance. Children will be admitted free to the concert and a charge of Gd made for adults. The canvassers have been very very successful in their efforts to get a good assortment of useful articles together for the auction, and we trust a good addition to the finances will be the result.

The following incident is said to have occurred in Hawke’s Bay:—During service in a country church a dispute arose between two dogs who had gained entrance to the kirk. The dispute ended in a “willing go.” The attention of the congregation was immediately towards the combatants when the parson said in disgust and in a loud voice, “ Brethren, as you take more interest in a dog fight than the Word, of God, I will close the good Book and back the yellow pup for a pound.

The Nelson Star wants to know whether the labor question will ever degenerate into anything like this : —Copy of letter received by a suburb in (Sydney) Mayor : “ Dear sir— I think that you should give me more munyciple woork seeing that , who gets on all the inkquests and gets five shillings a day for all that, gets more woork and his brother and law being in the police. The work you offered mo on the night soil contracts isn’t fit for a man who has nown you so long and and a brother Orngman.—Yours fraternally ann respectfully.” The Union Steamship Company has recently issued to the masters and engineers in their employ a circular which breathes the lessons taught by the Wairarapa calamity in every line. Special stress is laid upon the benefits of total abstinence, and it is clearly laid down th it all other things being equal the preference will, in giving promotion be shown to officers who are total abstainers. The term “ wine money ” is abolished though the allowance will still be continued to captains of steamers as “ personal expenses.” The circular shows plainly enough that the management of the company suspect that liquor had something to do with the less of the Wairarapa, though it would never do to say so.—Exchange.

A red cow has been impounded in the local pound.

At the Supreme Court, New Plymouth, on Wednesday, F. W. Berneoker was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for forging a money order for 19s 6d at Waitara. Edward Vernon Jones was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for forgery. The annual 'Varsity boat race between Oxford and Cambridge was rowed on Saturflay. Oxford jumped away with the lead, which was maintained throughout, and won easily by a length and a half. Time, 20tnins SOsecs. This makes Oxford’s sixth consecutive win.

News has been received of a collision in the Straits of Messina between the Alvah, an English steamer, andtheßinkhorn, chartered by the French Government to convey troops and river gunboats to Madagascar. The Alvah sank, but all on board were saved. The transport, though seriously damaged, managed to reach Mesaiaa. We (Wanganui Herald) have received a telegram from the Minister of Labor that the Government have made arrangements by which a large number of men will be put on road and bush work in the North Island, A fair division of this work will shortly be made so that any unemployed here may have an opportunity of obtaining necessary work at the earliest possible date.

We give a reminder of the Pictorial Exhibition which takes place this evening in the Town Hall. The exhibition has received very favorable notice from the press wherever it has been shown. Mr De Lacy has fixed the admission at one shilling, and children half price, bo that it will be within the reach of all; and as the exhibition comprises scenes of a verj educational nature, parents should endeavor to let as many of their children as nossible have the opportunity of seeing it.

The ci ptflin of the Annie Maud, which has arrived in Sydney from Bio, reports that the vessel fell in with the barquentine Celestina, from Swansea to Magellan Straits, on fire. The vessel was boarded, when a message was found stating that the crew had left in beats. The crew of the Annie Maud succeeded in getting the flames partially under, and sailed the derelict to Rio, where the fire was extinguished, and the ship handed over to the British Consul at Rio. It was learnt that the crew were picked up by another vessel. A Christchurch paper says : Quite recently Mr W. O. Rutherford accompanied by Mrs Rutherford, climbed to the peak of Mount Tekoa, in the Amuri district, which has an altitude of 5291 feet. This is the first lady who has reached the summit. The weather was good, through rather sultry, and a short stay was made on the mountain top, from which a magnificent prospect was obtained over the Hurunui district, the course of the Waiau River, Hanmer Plains, as well as a wide stretch of country, including the peaks to the northward and southward.

The Opunake Brass Band intends starting operations again, and a meeting of old members and also any new members desirous of joining is convened for Tuesday evening, April 16th. As the most of the members were too busy during the summer to attend it was resolved to cease practice for the past few months, but now that the long winter evenings are coming on it will form both a useful and pleasurable means of spending them. The Band has a very capable and painstaking bandmaster in Mr Cummins, and new members joining will thus have every opportunity of learning music and playing an instrument as well. There should be sufficient material in this district to make a first-class band, and we trust that every one will take an interest in it and try and make it successful. There is no reason why it should not develop into a sturdy institution if the members take a lively interest in it, and we hope ere long to find that X hey have not only replaced some of the instruments with better ones, but that like other places, they will be able to procure uniforms as well.