LEVIN CO-OP. DAIRY CO.

Shannon News, 1 August 1924, Page 3

LEVIN CO-OP. DAIRY CO.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINu. The annual, general meeting of the Levin Co-op. Dairy Co., was held in the Century Hatf "Wednesday afternoon, there being an attendance of some 70 shareholders. Mr S. A. Broadbelt ohairman of directors, presided; CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. The following report was .submitted by the chairman:— Since our, last report ana balan™, we have paid out £3'i6o 1t« 3d, by way of a further final payment for ' season 1922-23, making an average of Is 7£d. The above ail the surpluses that were available on the past season's produce. We have experienced very good prices throughout the season for our butter, and the Company has been able to maintain liberal advances to suppliers. Further prospects cf the butter market do not look bright and it seems that we will have to accept a lower trend of prices in the future. The Dairy Produce Control Board has been set up during the season to further the producers' interests in marketing our dairy produce, #nd future developments of the Board will be watched very closely *)y tbe dairy farmers. ' The Company has manufactured , 945 tons 13cwt. 81bs of butter during the year, which is a record, an increase of 10, tons 18cwt., over the previous season's output. We have still maintained our reputation for good quality, being first on the list /of factories grading through the Port of Wellington. The average grade for the season shows a decided decrease on last . year's average, ahd suppliers and shareholders must get right down to business, apid impdiove the .qualify of" their milk and cream. if the good name of Lake Butter is to be maintained: Shareholders and suppliers will remember that the matter of appointing a farm, dairy instructor was turned down at out lalst -annual meeting, -and your directors are of the opinion that ihe time;has arrived when some form of dairy instruction should 'be introduced. The average advance Paid to suppliers ,for the season has been Is 6.07 d. A further payment of l£d per lb. on butter-fat received for the whole season will be paid, making an average payment of Is 7.57 d. -The Directors recommend that a dividend of 6 per cent, be paid to the shareholders absorbing £396. .This has been allowed for in the Profit and Loss Appropriation Account. Provision has also been made for Land and Income Tax. The Directors purpose placing £SOO to the Reserve Account, £52 Qs 5d to Bad Debts Reserve Account,, out of the unappropriated balance 'for the past seasons, and to carry the balance of £lO9 16s 9d forward. The retiring Directors are: RA. Rolston and S. A. Broadbelt, who are eligible for re-election. Those nominated are: ,S. A. Broadbelt;, R. A. Rolston, and A. J. Edginton. HERD TESTING. One of the necessary means of successfully combating outside competition," stated the chairman, "was by keeping only high production cows. In this connection the local HerdTesting Association was doing good work although unfortunately it was not availed of by farmers to the extent which it should be. Of the 3" herds which had averaged 210 days and over the highest herd in 3.04 days had averaged 384.711bs Of butterfat per cow, the lowest herd giving a return of 174.1311.* in 232 days Thf» highest individual cow had produced ■599.971bs of butter-fat in 305 days, and the lowest, 127.37 lbs in 239 days. The -average Association cow produced 2781bs the average production of butterfat per cow, per day, being 1.0338 lbs.

Last year, continued the chairman, he had expressed a hope that at today's meeting he would be' able to give figures showing the average per cow over the, whole of the factory's district. Unfortunately the suppliers had not all sent in their returns. Out ■of 410 suppliers only 202 had sent in the desired information,, but over these herds the average was 236 lbs of fat per cow. MILK AND BUTTERFAT TOTALS. The totals of milk and.'cream received at the various creameries.and factories had been as follows: tievin fa1ct0ry.—5,251,509 lbs milk and 1,132,515 lbs cream (giving a total of butterfat of 654,032 lbs). Koputaroa,—so4,666lbs cream (194,3091bs 'butter fat). Foxton Road.-Q66,.138 lbs cream (141,556.4 lbs butter fat). 1hakara.—3,703,7371bs milk and 834 lbs cream (butter-fat 147,1691b5). lbs milk (butter- . fat 116.421.31b5). Ohau.-i-«,901,492 lbs milk, cream 7,0941bs (butter fat 118.278.llbs). . Kimberley R0ad.—3,486,6701bs milk, 14.600 lbs cream (butterfat 147,437.4 lbs). Heaiftierlea R0ad.—8,396,327 lbs milk, 125,238. lbs cream (butterfat s 183,899.61b5). Reach R0ad.—153,6671bs cream (butterfat 61,915.61b5). Muhunoa West.—s6,9Q6lbs cream (ibutterfat 22,223.41b5).

The weight of butter made from each lb of butter fat used for the manufacture of butter for the year ended 31st May, 1924, was 1.1856 per cent., and the percentage which the weight of unsalted butter manufactured, bears to the total weight of butter manufactured, is 27.75 per cent.' in discussing the price paid for butterfat, Mr Howell said that he disagreed with the statement that good prices had been obtained. He had ■recently received a letter from a friend in Peru who stated that in that country there was an unsatis.fled demand for butter at 8s to 10s per lb.- (Laughter and applause). An endeavour should be made to investigate such markets with a view to development in this direction. Regarding the decrease in the grading returns he regretted to notice that this was obtained. The chairman stated v that this was due to unclean milking machines. There was no necessity for this and something

should be done to see that an alternative was made. In answer to Mr Small, the chairman stated that the £7OOO appearing on the balance sheet as invested at call, Was so placed that it could be laid hands on at a week or ten days' notice. FACTORY RETURNS COMPARED. Mr Taylor asked if something could not be done to discover why Shannon could pay a higher price for /butterfat fthaln could Levin. Levin had large reserves from which interest was obtained and this should enable them to pay more than Shannon could. The chairman stated that it had been said that the Shannon factory l was run cheaper than Levin. This he denied. , A thing to be considered was that Shannon, with a much smaller output,, sold nearly as much butter on the local market as difl Levin and l !it was well-known that the local trade returned a better price than did the export. Mr Vincent deprecated the comparison between .the two factories. Shannon had about 700 tons output with 100 suppliers.. Levin with 200 tons more had 400 suppliers, and the gathering of 'this cream, etc., was necessarily costly. The balance sheet was adopted. APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS.

Messrs S. A. Broadbelt and R. a Rolston, retiring directors, were re elected to the directorate.