The Daily News TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1904. THE BACON INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 167, 19 July 1904, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1904. THE BACON INDUSTRY.

The farmers in this district, spurred on by the prospect of .sharing in the huge profits Unit they imagine must now find their way into the 'pockets of the owners of private curing' establishments, arc ibent on having a co-operative bacon, factory which shall bo able to deal with t,he whole of the pork products of the countryside between Tikorangi and Opunokc. The idea seems a splendid one, if the allegation is well founded that pigraisers at present do not secure an adequate return for the expense and labour of rearing and fattening taconers. The question must be approached with considerable caution, however, for the multiplication of cooperative companies must be deemed antagonistic to the true spirit of co-operation. Then again, is the production of pigs in this district so enormous as to have staggered the present factory proprietors, or to warrant the expenditure of some thousands of pounds in the purchase or erection of works, and the staffing of such an establishment'.» Of the two sites now under offer to the proposed company we do not propose to say anything, preferring to leave that matter until tho reports of the engineer and expert are availaUle for publication. Hut we ask the farmers who are interesting themselves to put to themselves the Kjuestion, Will it pay ? That is the sum total of their interest, and tihoy must make themselves aenjuainted with tho proposed cost of premises, expense of improvements or enlargements, if any, working expenses, prospects of tho industry and of the concern in which they are investing their capital, proimblo cost of pork, facilities for landing supplies and disposing of products, and, whether It will pay. Wo lay particular stress on this last, for of all the co-operative companies in Taranaki how many are paying concerns ; how many return to the shareholders the market rate of interest for tho money invested ? There is tho man who considers Taranaki an ideal spot for pork-raising. If«so, why has so little money been made out of it, and why is the production so comparatively small? For, after all, there is no over-sup-ply of pigs ; not enough to keep the present factories working. Again, it is but fair to' point out that very often proprietary concerns oiler a higher price than the co-operative company, and tho grumbling .shareholder is then told of the dividend that must come at the end of the year. Before that time comes, however, the bacon market—a very fickle dame—has fallen, or perhaps u whole consignment of bacon and hams has been spoiled,! the damage running into several hundreds of pounds, as in the case of a concern in Taranaki not so very long ago. AU this we say in tho interests of tho farmer, and from no other motive. If tho idea is to .give tho farmer a source of incomo other than dairying, then there are plenty of bacon curers who are only too anxious to secure supplies of pigs. Or if tho farmer likes an clement of risk albout 'tho sale of his cured product, he can have it cured, as Mr Humphries showed on Satui-day, at a small price, leaving a fair margin of profit. Another phase of the Question is that most of those who have token up the matter aro small dairy farmers, and these expect to feed the pigs on the shim milk returned from tho creameries. To do this will mean tho loss of tho profits of calfrcaring, orel young stock to annually replenish 'tho herds must be purchased, even from otiier districts, for it will not' pay to rear p%s one year and calves tho next. The inattor of site seems to have absorbed the whole attention of tho farmers, and tho major .question that should be pertinently asked lias been overlooked. That, question is, "Will it pay?"