CORRESPONDENCE. THE LOT OF THE FACTORY MANAGER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 256, 19 March 1913, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE LOT OF THE FACTORY MANAGER.

To tile I'll!iLoj'. i si,v <Uli , r St milord i corre.-pondenr.- column will, interest in 1 S;il urday'- i-,uc, iu'i!<h'.[ "l-actory Man- 1 «'! I!u.--ia." |.||.„ um! M'iviuc.' > Hie only cf t!.,. dairy fanner, r U I 11 1!!-! i- (•(•!•!,■ liaiv a Vel'V 1 good type of many in Taranaki who !' growl ami grab every fraction mil of <■ tlieir business. (hi *y ; ,!v iii M.iv cut it led 1 •■' •** iactori"s* are co-operative. 1 and owned by the dairymen. who do all " the work and have nil the lira ins. The 1 factory manager- are oniv part.- of the 1 plant in the factory—just bits of iron, stravbacks and woodenheads. all enclos- ' i'd in a muii as thick as an elephant's ' "i- a Captain Cook hoar's., which is kept 1 styed up in a dairy factory 12 to l."> hours per day for seven days in the week, ' just turning a handle and all the dairy- ' men's milk is turned into cheese and but- j ter. which is most simple, of course. The factory manager draw* nearlv all the Profit. as he is paid such a bin salary for i doing nothing while tlie dairy farmer i receives all the low tests. together with all his rotten cans of milk returned to feed hi.s pigs, and has on top of this to j pay for all the cream that goes down the factory drain instead of in the churn. I feel somewhat pleased that vour re* I porter did not try and put in' a word sideways in defence of the factory manager. because he may never have recovered to write the particulars of this interview with this dairy fanner for your valuable paper. As ] take.it. after 17 years of factory work* of these dairy farmers, this is one of those who says nothing to the manager if he thinks be is being unfairly used, but will al- i ways wait until he gets hold of someone | who is not in direct touch with factory I working or business, and someone who ) is not likely to bring him face to face I with the manager, and, better still; a I brother growler, as this dairy farmer j cvidentlt' is a small one. lie usually J is the worst. First, many small dairy- I men onlv have one or two cans to seiid ' to the factory, and because their small quantity of milk is sour or tainted they usually think that their : tinr 1 drop -will' "not make any difference to the great amount received into tlie factory, but this is the trouble. A small quantity will spoil the large quantity just as mucii as if all the milk wei\yd wefre a"little off. Tlie big dairy farmer with a lot of milk has to look after his• milk even more than the small man. as he knows that a big lot will go 'oil'* quicker than a small lot,, whereas* tire smitll man very often trusts to Providence to keep |iis little lot good. All practical men i in tliis business know this. As to the' I factory tests, which the have I ail to do with so as ; to-suit thf'ir" o"ve|'--{ run, there may he some truth in 'it < where a manager lias to lis pound of ) butter out. of a pound of butter-fat. arid I Add this 1(1 'per.cent, of water to grease j the dairymen's pockets and I.al;e a'll'"the ; risk of losing his job. If lie does n6t j get it. never mind about bis reputation:;) ;(s a butter-maker. That is 'the Inmi-"> ager's loss, and it dOi'S'Hot" matter to-] the dairymen. With reference to'hav- j ing an independent ollicial to do the' Sest+ng." I" feel * sure • thai svfli liiairogetiisl would welcome this -on •••condition that .the ollicial had to put up wi'fch'bil-thc.? (jomplaints made farmers. ...I for one would welcome this system and gladly pay tpwardfout of my own pockYL' "t woutll go a step . further, and pay to L1 ..1.1if official _ again and have him test regularly all dairy - ■ men's .milk for "wiiter iitOil-i' . ity or condition of their milk which they offer for sale, and ask factory managers to iqake. first-grade butter or . cheese out-, of— as well ;to : do things ' properly while we are; at .it. ..fliis- sjrg; • . tell). I think,'may help to ,waken iip fa- . few and let. .them know that aj; thejr*. farm, at: th"ir cowshed, .it their.Hulking machines, at their cans , and carts, • and "their own selves.,a growl wpuld do no harm to help brighten up tilings,.a hit. and by the time their- own gear was ,in thorough order they may have ,a few ' minutes to look around the managers J department for something out. of .place, such as a wasted cheese case batteii, a broken butter-box. a pint of oil on the engine-bed too much, or a factory drain which ought to be cleaned onf. or factory fence put-in repair.. ic Tljrse »Yp only a few things that, require, shaking, up.' Then for the, iimiijigers' salaries. Some of them even. draw .as much as £:i and Lll.-.pe.i: w-eek, and. workers C> IDs' to . C2, and.'mjlv., work 12 to 13 hours seven days in the week, because there are not eight days. Anyhow, they rest their j wearv bones and tired brains during the winter when there is no v'ork or wages to handle. They certainlv have earned their rest after earning for the dairyfarmer all the thousands of' golden sovereigns by turning their good aud had milk into an article which commands almost the top price in the world's .markets. ■ This position could neVer be attained only.for the hiirh class'of cheese '•and butter makers, which the dairymen ought to be proud of and assist with better raw material than they do and have,done ill the past. As a fmal warning to the dairy fanners, unless they alter their present- methods of grabbing'qiiantitv at the expense of quality, grinding their factory managers and generally squealing fir/ more test and more whey when they cannot put tlieir feet on the scales, tliev will lose the lot., as the oleo man now turns out a better article than ever the farmer did with his own churn and luitfer worker hefore Xew Zealand employed those manager'-. "Czars of Russia."—T am. etc.. .ONE OF THE CZARS.