The Daily News. THURSDAY MAY 23, 1901. AN OBJECT LESSON.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 106, 23 May 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. TH Y A URSD MAY 23, 1901. AN OBJECT LESSON.

At a time like this, wh«n our dairy farmers, issstead of trjing ta work together, aro dividing then- furcsw, and establishing several grading centrei, it is ratker string* tt> s*e the system hithe>to in vogue ia Ti.ranaki, of one grading pert and the syjtomatic handling of dairy produce, u being lauded elsewhere, a«d given as a reason for the success and pro»paiitj of T»ranaki dairy farmers. Tte Napier Daily Telegraph in a recent ume publishes aD interesting letter from the pen of Mr J. 0. Wenall, L.L.8., i* r.f«rence to the butter trade in Hawke's B*y. After pointing out the success of the indua'ry in Xaranrki due tj the concentration of the industry, the writsr urges the adoption ef a similar gjstesa .at Napier, After pointing out how hopelessly at fault the system in vogue is, ke pertinently ask*: " How oan it be anything else at a time when Tarenaki butter u •old in Napier at the same price ae the Heretaunga butter, while nearly every up-country store is selling the imported article as cheaply as tkat produced bj the lcoal factory ?" Searching for « reason, Mr. Westell is of opinion that it cannot be for want of Hawke's Bay factories, at le»6t not in number, and after enumerating the factories working in tbe province, he pays : '« This being so, what becsmes cf the but'er ? It if evident that a great part of it must gc to Wellingloa for s'oiage snd expo.t, And again, we are requested to note that the Napier exports are falling off. Perhaps the mtxt suitable arch to represent Hawke's Bay at Wellington would ba one comrosnd of cur own butter boxes ; it would certainly be large enough,, and would serve to remind Welling'o.iians of our kindness in helping on their trade at the expense of the lecal tradesmen. In a word, very disintewsttd, but nob businessIke." Mr. Westall gives oni ics'ancs which has come under his personal no tice: "One of the above creameries wa>. st ii ted, A Wellington agent came along; terms woie quoted and accepted; the machinery w;is bought from Wellington, I think; a Wellington firm contracted for the whole supply of cream, and every morning the cream tins were sent to Welliogton by the exp- ess at the reduced Government rate, ar,d reared empty, and con(sequenily free. A your of this showed that this did not pay the creamery. The shareholders then amalgamated wi'.h the but! or factory, and if my in-

formal ion is correct they are now miking £1 p.r cow per month." TLu. r.aeonfor this, Mr. Wesbll conjecturef is that the Hawka's Bay fac'ories a rf all independent, units: there is no c.imK; at'.oa or of supply and distribution, and Napier has no grad-r, no systematic s'o-n(ie, ko system i-' •sport;, and is app*iea ly saii.fiVi thai this state of things shou'd continue. If this be not bo, Sir. Wfs'all atks how it is (hat while Auckland rxp rts 5571cwt. and New Plymouth 9951 cwt, Nopior bxports lOcwt. of butter«i -figures which the writer cou-j Isiders are "a standing reproach t o | our want of comnwa business capacity."

The wtiter considers a remedy for thi* unsatisfactory sta'o of r.ffaiw would be to getacOEforer.ee cf representstives from the local fac ories, find to fee if tby cannot makei' worth wl-ili-, either iidepouden.ly or iu conjunction wiih leading ni'rchnnts, to initial a propet system of dUt-ibulion, exp rt, ar.d storage. Mr. West.i'.l concludes: " There is no donbfc that there is mon*y ia the trade, that it is an increasing trade, njjd tlut it is a trade particularly adapted to the circumstatiCfS of the small farmor. People are flockir.g on the land, the population ia increasing, an! tho co-.aquekt increase of trade i, b-nsfiting our neighbours at our expanse. At the present time it, is no oxagg ration to fay t'uat the Hawke's Bay cows are principally of service in helping to swell the evermcrraing profits of Wellington merchants. It is idle to talk about woollen factories as the remedy for such a cutious btite of aff.ird. The only remedy for behind the times is to try cud become up-to date.',