SIZE OF DAIRY FACTORIES.

Putaruru Press, Volume III, Issue 94, 13 August 1925, Page 8

SIZE OF DAIRY FACTORIES.

ON ECONOMICAL BASIS. When Should Progress Cease ?' The question as to when the Morrinsville Co-op. Dairy Co. was going to call a halt in the matter of making extensions to the factory - gave rise, at the annual meeting on. Thursday, to a debate concerning- what was the most economical -size for a dairy factory. Mr. F. W. Seifert (chairman of directors) had stated earlier in the meeting that expenditure up to about £3OOO would convert the factory into one capable of handling 1000 tons of butter in a year. Later in the meeting-, Mr. W. J. Neels questioned the chairman on the matter, asking what the capacity of the factory would be with the expenditure of £2OOO. The chairman replied that a temporary extension would be of little value and the extension to a capacity of 800 tons would cost little less than to make provision for an annual manufacture of 1000 tons. With the coming into force of the Control Board’s compulsory marketing and superfine grade, they would have topreduce .the best quality of butter,, and at the present time the factory; was not in a position to manufacturethe superfine butter at 93 points, for which Id per lb extra was paid. Mr. N. Anderson asked if the shareholders were going to continue altering the factory? Were they going on indefinitely, continuing to issue nevi shares ?

The chairman said that the factory was not yet at the most economical stage. The company would have to face tlris question some day, but ha did not tkri- Hurt that- time had yet come. Tire factory would be at a more economical size at 800 tons to 900 tons than at present. The chief mistake with the smaller companies was that they made extensions by building more factories instead of confining their operations to the one district. Mr. A. Topham said that something should be done that day with regard to the factory. There should be something in view as to where the building operations were to stop. Some of the Taranaki factories had a low cost of manufacture with -only about 30 suppliers. The chairman said he would not go into anything for the sake of being in something big. He recognised the fact that the factory should not be an unweildly one, but they wanted tire most economical building. One of the articles of association was that they must not birild outside the present site. Mr. Leeson considered a 1000 ton factory an economical one, and he maintained that this discussion could be deferred till the factory had been enlarged to cope with 1000 tons of butter annually. The matter was then allowed to drop.