RAHOTU CHEESE FACTORY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 3120, 20 January 1908, Page 3

RAHOTU CHEESE FACTORY.

(From Our Own Correspondent), A red-letter day in the annals of our" township was Friday January 17, when the new and up-to-date cheese factor)| recently ereeted lor the Kaliotu Cooperative Dairy Factory Co. was formally opened by a picnic in the daytime, and a dunce in the evening. I'or years'" past there has been 110 co-operativtil, dairying locally, the settlers about here J supplying either ihc Crown Dairy to. M» j l&ihotu, or the Oaonui and l'lmgaielui 1 co-operative factories. The price ruling for cheese, however, led some of | the settlers to think that the time wab I opportune for forming a to-operative (lain- company here, and erecting a' cheese factory. About three months ago preliminaries were commenced, ami a company formed. Provisional directors wcru appointed. eou-Uting of Messrs I'iiu! \\ illc-ox I eliairinan). ]J. j Newton King. 11. Ilopkiii-. ('. Sole. A. ; Chapman. ,I. .lanii'>. 11. ( li.ipin.in. and .1. Willoox (sm-retai vi. They have workI e,| bard, partieid .rl.v (lie chairman, -whir) : has devoted n lot of time, with the rej --Hit ihsu th<» factory is now an aceom-pli-hed fact. Messrs J. IS. MacEwan and Co., wlio had the contract for the erection and equipment of the faetory, wcrn only allowed six working weeks in which to complete it, and they hare admirably carried out their contract. They were neatly indebted for this to the energetic manner in which Mr R. AV. Bond, contractor for the building, pushed forward his work. At one time he haiff

over 30 men employed, and the speeil with which the factory went up would* give, 113 a slight idea of the American hustle. It can hardly he credited that' where the fine factory now stands was a rough gorsc-covcrcd section six week* ago.

There w« a pood attendance at the pienie, including Messrs H. Baily (sccreliirv). E. Cock, and BlumMl, of Now Plymouth. After full justice had been* done to the pood things supplied l>y t(he Indies and the party had lieen photoimplied, an adjournment was made to the building, which was Inspected by all. All were unanimous in praising tho im'ldit'" ;ind its appointments. Mr T'.iul Willcox (chairman!, in dt'.\ ■•hiring the factory open, said it was n "•■ll'advanced factory, had a good staff! of men. and only needed plenty of supf nliers to be ,1. success. Tt had cost. I t to liiiibl. and was deserving of Support. The Crown Dairr Co. had always

treated if- suppliers well, and hnd given 'lioni everv assistance in starting this' 1 i'o-op : >r.i(ivi' concern. Tie oilled for fhmr cheers for "Tlie Crown," which' Here " ; v n \nothor silvn wns given for the lixtiiv- who had assisted in inaHiiifi the openiu'f -n successful. "Hr Tf. Cocl.. one of the Crown pro-' "licfaiT. spo'-,. "of (lie excellent feeli'"• Hint had between |l>o»r cimplier= '" I IheiPselves. and =nid lh.it fhrmprc > 1 1' - "Pnliotu simollers, (bo. r: "' '."'ill. v mild nlivnT-i li'Ve thoflV s iV'"'. r TT " ""feffed srr NVwto» ■ i."f i>„ b.nd to '-<- m ain i M , '""" "• Hie "n.ninl meo! ; » of f.11• Harlirir lieM r - Tfiis was very'

I important. About t C 10,0U0 liad been, f spent on the breakwater out of revenue# •- | I- I * l .year, and wliuu the Home steamers' . j euuM call at New Plymouth it would be, | a great saving to tile farmers ill freight. . -Mr I''. M. Chapman, who is looked wpon as our oldest settler, congratulated j the farmers on launching out, ami hope'-* . j the venture would prove suctessful. , Messr-s H. Morrow and 11. Chapman ' j also spoke and congratulatid theI contractors on their excellent work' and"! i tlie celerity with which the job wits, j pushed through. Sir 1!. W. 1). Robertson, of Messrs J., I 1!. McEwan and Co., in acknowledging j the compliment, said he wa-s satisfied tho j Raholu people had a good solid job ; which would last over twenty years. In. regard lo the expedition with which Ihe work was pushed ahead, t'lie greatqr; thanks were due to Mr 11. W. Bond, the ■ building contractor, as unless ho had Implied with the building it would have been impossible to have put ill the machinery. After Mr liaily had spoken, three | cheers were ng.iin given for the ladies. :l j Photographs were again taken and races ( | were indulged in. 11l tho evening a very largely attended dance was held in the Rahotu Hall, excellent music being provided by Messrs Knowles (piano), l)uncau (violin), ajwl Fischer (cornet), ill' Povnton acted as MX'. Refreshments ad lib. were hand'd round, and the gathering dispersed at about 2 a.m.

The factory will commence operations this (Monday) morning, with a supply, of about 3000 gallons. An efficient staff, consisting of Messrs Leader (ma{Ur ager), Oldham (first assistant). .1. Hall (second assistant), and two others has been engaged, and with a new and tip-, to-date plant a lirst-grade article shouldi bo turned out. I

The building, designed by Messrs l'err eival and Messenger, architects, of In» glewood, has a frontage of 03ft, with fi depth of Bft. The making-room is 80 ft I>y 30ft, and contains seven vats, each; of 750 gallons capacity; seven cheese presses, and twocurd mills. The room is large enough for another vat, if necjeesar.v. There are two receiving stages of ferro-concrete, each ISft by 10ft. fitted with power hoists ami Sinus weigher. Oil the making-room is the curing-room, it is -10 ft by ,'i'lft, and fitted with white pine shelving to carry about 21 days' output. The storing room i* 30ft by 40ft, and the washing iloor is 10ft by Oft, fitted with wooden tubs. At the rear of the making-room is a bath-room, I'lft by Bft, lor the use of employees. The butter-room is SOlt by 30ft. ' OfT the making-room is the engine-room. I'.lft by 10ft, containing an 8-h.p. Tangye engine. Only 3-h.p. is necessary for cheese, but lite engine is large enough to drive a freezer if the company ever requires to instal a butter plant.' Close to this is a tester-room, 10ft by 10ft. and a starter-room, 10ft by lift, fitted with a Primus pasteurising and coolinM plant for making the starter. The

boiler-room is detached from the main building. It contains a 17-h.p. multitubular boiler properly bricked in. The building throughout is fitted with hot and cold water service, and every modern appliance. Water in obtained from <i 30fl well, anil there are also three 4()Ti-

gallon tanks on a massive stand. The whole of the basement is in concrete,

properly plastered. The drainage ;s perfect, the whey gravitating through open concrete drains into two concrete vats hft by 10ft by -4ft, whence it l'un* into tile suppliers' cans. A roadway 14ft deep has been cut' to enable the carts to reach the vats. From the whey tanks the waste water will run into the river by moans of a tunnel. Messrs ,1. B. MacEwan and Co. supplied the ivliolc of the fittings, which were erected under the capable supervision of Mr Robert-

son. the New l'lymoutli manager, Mr •T. White, engineer, superintended the erection. This is the fifty-sixth factory that the firm has erected. Mr R. W.

Bond, the well-known contractor, of Xew l'lymoutli. erected the building. This is the twentieth factory he lias erected (eight -this season). The whole of the timber (SltylnOft) was supplied bv the Opunake Rawmilling Co.. Ltd. (Mr J. fiareia. manager): the gravel by Mr ,T. Rothery; joinery by Messrs Hv. Brown and Co.; Messrs Kmart Bros, were the contractors for the plumbing, and Mr Lovegrove for the painting. This is a record for the erection of a factory which it would be hard to beat. Mr A. DufTill was the architects' representative on (lie ground.