The Daily News MONDAY, JULY 4, 1904. DAIRYING IN SOUTH CANTERBURY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 154, 4 July 1904, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, JULY 4, 1904. DAIRYING IN SOUTH CANTERBURY.

Whilst the ■dairying industry in Taraaaki has assumed very large proportions, and is practically the staple industry of this part of the colony, its initiation in other districts is of comparative recent date. In yarioua localities in the North Island every season brings an increase in the number of factories and creameries, and as large estates become divided into small areas and are put down to pasture, this process will be extended. In South Canterbury the industry is quite a recent development, and its establishment there is largely due to the enterprise and persistent advocacy of our contemporary, the Timaru Post. Four years ago, there was no butter factory in all that famous farming district lying between the Rangjitatia amd Wjutaki.i A small cheese factory was working at Teniuka. Owing to an exceedingly favourable season there were thousands of acres of rich pasture going to waste because there' was no stock to eat it. Sheep were scarce, and prices were so high that there was no margin for the farmer to buy such, stock. The Post opened its columns for the discussion of the situation, and urged editorially the establishment of the dairying industry with a view to utilising the waste product. A few enthusiastic people took up the question, v pnd a very warm discusr.ion ensuedi Dairy experts, Government officials, and othels were interviewed, resulting in the formation of a company and the establishment of a butter factory at Timaru. Work was not actually commenced until February, 1901 —a period of the year not calculated to give the best results, nor to secure the most promising prospects in the establishment of a new industry. The farmers for the most part were shy of the venture. They could see nothing in it but hard work. A few, however, determined to send milk in. For • six month, working expenses were just met, but the milk suppliers were so satisfied that the nuuil.-er was largely increased, and as the seuson advanced applications for the erectionof creameries in outlying parts oi the district began to flow in. The second season's work produced 37 tons of butter, with further requests for extra creameries. Theso were supplied, and the last season re-sulted-in the shipment of treble the amount of butter as coniparod with the previous year, viz., 117 tons. A movement is now on foot to secure tho making- of Timaru a grading port for the shipment of dairy produco. The harbour possesses shipping facilities equalled -by few ports in the colony. The direct Home steamers call regularly (or froz/en meat, and it seems only reasonable that arrangements should be made for shipping butter also instead of railing it a distance of over 100 miles to Lyttelton, and then putting it on the steamers which buve just called at Timaru. Further, a large portion of the butter from Otago aml Southland is railed to Lyttelton for grading- purposes and subsejquent shipping. The Timaru butter shippers contend that their own port is the natural place for grading and shipment. They are, therefore, seeking the assistance of tho more southern shippers in sui>port of the proposal, and without question they make out a very strong case. The Post puts it very clearly, as follows "The total quantity railed to Lyttelton this season, aDd put through tho cool stores there, amounted to (58.DM boxes, an increase of 33,079 boxes over last season. The total is made up as follows North Canterbury 28,439 Sotit.li Cantei'bury ... -I So (it 111 a mi -1,594 Otago 31,838 04,428 balance for local use ... 3,631 (58,(1")!) It will be sum that Ot-ago stands flrst on the list, and the saving in railway freight on over 30.(J(I0 boxes of butter would amount to a considerable item if the southern factories' output were shipped at Timaru instead of Lyttelton. If concentration at one port is regarded as an important consideration, we submit that under existing circumstances Timaru is more central than Lyttelton, and that if will be more profitable for Southern exporters to ship their butter at this port. In aay cane the South Canterbury Dairy Company cannot bo expected to rail thoir produco all the way to ] Lyttelton wl«m every fucility for ' shipping is in existenre at Timaru. It Is not absolutely necessary that the proposal should be adopted at once, but we shall expect to sec Timaru mado a grading port in time for the opening of the next butter •xport season, say by -next September." We hope they may succeed.