PROGRESS OF THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 32, 6 February 1903, Page 2

PROGRESS OF THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

j While the progress of the dairy inj dustry in Taranaki is still great and , continusus, other people of the cV.ouy jare also making progress, and, owing I to their beiagmore backward,relatively, i progress is probably mere appar e .t ; thau in Taranaki. The other day w« : called attention to a claim that We!- | ling ton was advancing more rapidly i than Tarapaki. From our Auckland contemporary, the Herald, we le*ru I that the Auckland province is ranking rapid strides as a dairy centre. Every year additions are being made to the number of factories, and the output of dairy produce is increasing at a wonderfully rapid rate. There are now 52 j factories running in the province, of I which 44 are butter factories, and the remainder cheese factories, while the larger companies in the butter business lown between them over 50 separate creameries, at which supplies of milk are gathered to feed the large factories under tiieir control, This season has already seen the opening of seven ae\v factories, and in other districts the advisability of starting co-opecative f»etoi'ies is being earnestly discussed, so that it may be taken for granted thsi the number will be further increased by thecemmeacement ot' another season. The export sf butter from '.uckland since the beginning of thepreaent season up to the end of January has been

40,439 boxts of 561b each,aud 3638 of'll2b each, reprejenting a total of while up to February 8 last year the quantities exported w«r« 31,792 boxes and 4324 kegs, a total of 20,220cwt, showing that this season's output is already 3647£cwt ahead of the export at this date last season, The Auckland Freezing Works have been kept exceedingly busy during the I whole season, esptcially daring the I month of December, when in one week, I from the Bth to the 13th, there were I received iate the cool stores 3425 I boxes and 292 kegs of butter, a total for the week of 224,5001b, representing a value of close on .£II,OOO, while the avenge weekly value of the industry to tha province during the whole of the HaasoH may be moderately estimated at £7500. These are vary small figures beside those of Taranaki, but the manager of the Auckland Freezing Works expects a very large increase nest season. Several of the new factories, he said, are just now only in the initiatory stage, and the settlers in those districts are not fully provided with the number of cews they will be able to milk when the factories are in full swing. Many of the factories, he added, will show an increase of about 50 per cent, ia their output next year. One peculiar thing about the Auckland districG is that the rirfks of tha London market are taken by the Freezing Company. "Some of the factories," said the manager, "ship butter on their own account, but the farmers seem to look to us to keep our works going, take the whole of the risk, and at the same time pay high prices. We would very much likvt to see them mike more use of our works for frei z ing, so that they could ship oa their own account, It would be much pre fei'ttble if tha larger growers would share the responsibility with ua. We give them every facility for doing so, even up to giving liberal advances oa the produce exported, and we think it only fair that they should take a share of'the risk, instead of lotting it all fail od our shoulders."