FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 16 September 1907, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY.

At the Waitara Road Dairy Co. annual meeting a resolution was passed empowering the directors to meet other directorates to discuss a scheme for the cheapening of the cost of manufacture of butter. The question was introduced by Mr. G. V. Tate, who in a chat to a News reporter on Saturday entered into some details. His idea is that the Taranaki Producers' Freezing Works Company should erect a butter factory at Moturoa, and that the diiferenl factories, instead of making butter as at present should act merely afc feeders or crea,meries. The advantage of such a scheme would be an immetos* saving in the wages bill, for the number of employees would not increase in proportion to the output. Office or secretarial expenses also could be considerably reduced. Another very im 7 portant feature would be that by the whole of the milk being manufactured into butter at one factory, there would be a. uniform quality. This would suit buyers, too, for tho irregularity in the output is one of the principal faults in our produce. Mr Tate considers {hero would be strong competition for thi2 output of a combined factory such as' he proposes, . - ; : .-?i , f . . j At the annual meeting of'the' Nor-' manby Dairy Company on Friday Mr. Mcßea brought up the matter of installing cheese plants at the factory and creamery. The chairman said they had paid 10'/ 2 d on butter, Cardiff had paid 13 7-10 d per lb on butter-fat, and River! dale 12%, besides providing other large sums for depreciation, etc. Had TCa.iipokouui, which paid 12% d per lb, been near the railway as they were it would have paid over 13d per lh. He estimated that the shareholders in the factory had lost £2173 13s 9d and at the creamery £593 15s. That was allowing 3d per lb for cheese, on the basis of the other companies he had quoted. Mr. Meßae said Mr. Roe (Hawera) had estimated £3OO as the cost of installing a cheese plant at the creamery. The chairman said that the companv bad been offered «y,d f.o.b. New Plymouth for cheese. That would give 3'/»d n?r lb in favour of cheese, for the* most they could expect for butter was Iflyid. Mr. Burr moved, and Mr. Hayward seconded, that the company continue to make butter. The voting resulted as follows:—For installing a'cheese plant 119, for continuing to make butter 72. , The matter of finance was left to the directors.

At a farm laborers' meeting at Aslilmrton recently a speaker, by" way of demonstrating the present prosperity of the farmer, said that 12 square miles of land on the Ashburton Plains, bouaht for £2 per acre, would now carry 'l mortgage, if the owner desired to'borrow, of at least £5 per acre. With the increased value of land, and (he corresponding good prices obtainable for the products of the land, farmers could sure afford to treat their employees with more liberality. There were, however, times of the year, when a limitation of working hours on the farm could not be i observed.

Members of the Equitable Building Society of New Plymouth (First and Second Groups) are notified that subscriptions will be due and payable on Monday at the Secretary's Olliee, Curriestreel, from !) a.m. to 12.30, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to fl p.m.—Advt. AN OPPORTUNE SALE. Perhaps at no previous period in the history of the boot and shoe' trade in Taranaki has there come so opportunely a genuine sale of footwear such as that now being' conducted by the Melbourne Clothing Company. The public, quick to realise that the new tariff spells increased prices, has rallied in crowds to take advantage of the savings offered, and the firm's staff has lvcn kept ex- | coodingly busy handling record busiIncss. The huge "make-room" sale is now in its second week, and to keep interest from flagging many new and , startling lines have been brought forj ward Sale positively closes Saturday, 21st September—Advt.