FARMERS CO-OPERATE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 243, 23 March 1915, Page 3

FARMERS CO-OPERATE.

UP-TO-DATE SALE YARDS AT

OPUNAKE.

SPLENDID OPENING SALE.

No one should know better the benc,s fits of co-operation than the Taranaki ;0 farmer, for lie has had the experience t . of Ins co-operative butter and cheese lactones, box factory, and freezing works to inniatc him fully into the' ~ advantages of the systeTTi.' It conies, „ then, as no surprise to learn that the il New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative OrIi ganisation .Society, Limited, has been g a marked success, and has progressed '- by leaps and bounds ever since its inr anguration some eleven months ago. It - was launched mainly owing to tiie ef- ■ forts of Mr. G. 11. Buekeridge (the pre- ' sen I. chairman of directors), and a few • enthusiasts, lint once launched the. farI lnt ' r!i , ' ,aTC ' ,c °n quick to appreciate its benefits, and have strongly supported it. Tile organisation undertook, among ■ other businesses, the sale of cattle and ; stock, and made a start liy securing j the established business of Messrs Gil- , lies and Nalder, with saleyards at Ha- , wera, Manaia, Okaiawaj Auroa, Kaponga : ami Eltliam. Yesterday saw the so- . ciety break fresh ground, its saleyards '

. just erected at Opnnake being opened by a reeord entry ,of stock. Opunako people and the fanners for many miles along the coast have given the organisat on considerable support by taking lip shares, as the result of the enthusiasm of Mr. Coonibridge, tlie local director, and Mr. L. K. Jacksoti, the Opnnake manager. An ideal saleyards site

of fifteen acres, just south of Opunake,and alongside the Waian .River, was ] secured, and a contract was let to Mr. j S. Lock hart, of TTawora. for the eree- ' tion of the yards. The site is fairly high and alongside a river, making it , easy to drain, and easy to secure a t water supply, of which full advantage f has been taken. A rani has lieen placed (

in the Waiau River, and this will sup- c ply three thousand gallons of water l 'daily into two tanks placed on a stand c fourteen feet high. From here the ' wate r will lie carried to trough? in each 1 paddock and also to each Den. A f trough will also bo placed on the road, ' for the use of farmers driving in " ;ukl out of town. Tlie water service " was supplied by Mr. Hutchinson, of Ha- 1 wcra. The yards are very up to date, H and will provide accommodation for two !' thousand cattle under ordinary circumstances. They cover 24,000 feet of J' ground space, all of which lia.s been concreted four inches thick, MO yards of grave! and fifty tons of cement" hav- p ing been utilised in their construction.

There are two large holding yards, each sixty feet by fifty feet, and irom there lead three races tlio full length of the pens, which number 75, some Oft f>y Oft. others ISft by Oft; and, again, " 27ft by 18ft. All the posts, of which five hundred have been used, arc of silver pine, which is estimated to last fifty years. The rails and gates arc of iarrah, and the cap piece*; are of 12 x 2

I'cart of rimu, the main cap pieces being two feet wide to allow plenty of standing room for clients during sales. There is also a covered-in enclosure, 27ft. hv 38ft. in which da in' stock will he sold. The balance of the property has hcen divided into eight accommodation paddocks. At the corner, nearest. the town, a commodious storeroom and office are to lie erected. The foundations for the building have already been prepared. The store-room wiil he fit)ft long by 30ft wide, with a height of 14ft. four feet of which will be concrete and ten feet iron. The ofliee, which faces down the main street, will be 20ft by 12ft. Mr. Lock hart, supervised the erection of the yards himself, and the company has expressed itself as well satisfied with tlie work. This is the first saleyards on the west coast of New Zealand to be erected by the farmers themselves, and the result is a credit to them, being, as ill - . Buckridge expressed it; ''The best! yards along the coast, and probably bet- j ter than any between here and'Wei-!

lington."

Commodious as the yards are, they proved unequal to the strain placed upon their capacity by the opening sale, for farmers of the district had evidently decided to mark the opening by a record entry. And they succeeded, considerably over two thousand stock being penned. The majority were small lines, right off the farms, and in tine condition, a tribute to the class of pastue lands of Taranaki. From early morning, the cattle began to arrive, and Messrs 11. A. Williams (head stoek-

man), Xixon (assistant stockman), and their helpers had a busy time sorting them into their various pens. About 11 a.m. it could be seen that the yards would not hold all tho stock without considerable inconvenience, so it was decided to send the overflow to the Loan and Mercantile. Company's yards, which that company generously placed nt the Organisation Society's disposal. Owing to the quantity of stock yarded, it was deemed advisable to start the sale at 12.30 instead of 1 p.m., as arranged, and speech-making was cut short. There must have been fully four hundred present at the opening of tho sale, prior to which the majority were ~the guests of the Farmers' Co-operative Urbanisation Society at luncheon, served in tile dairy cattle enclosure, under tho •direction of Mr. and Mrs. Shippey. A number of the directors wcto, present, including Messrs H. Jiuckeridge (chairman), Hunter (vice-chairman), Foreman (Alton), A. E. Death and J. E. Corrigan (Ilawcra), Coombridge (Opnnake), D. Todd (Inglowood), Gray (Lowgarth), and Gwynne (Kapongaj. Messrs E. Holder (manager), Candy (land salesman), Bram well (produce manager), Clarke (Waitara agent), and L. ,S. Jackson (local manager) were among the company's officials present. Messrs E. E. Xalder and .T. Hobbs took turns at wielding tlie hammer, Mr 'Wilson officiating as clerk. Before Mr. Xalder ascended the rostrum, Mr. fl.

IT. Buekeridgc, in a very brief speed], congratulated shareholders on their fine yards, and also the fine " kick-oil'" they bad given the company by the splendid

yarding of stock, which was a record for the district This showed that the organisation had the support of the far-

mers behind it, a factor very necessary for its success. " The yards," lie said, " are yours, and the company is yours, and it depends on yourselves to make it a success. If you continue as you have started there is no question but what it will he a success." He urged them to still further ensure its success by bidding well, and so inducing people to send their stock to the yards. After referring to the up-to-

dateness of the yards, he added that it spoke well for the directors when they couhl give this growing business

the necessary care and attention and at the same time provide such excellent yarding accommodation. Tn conclusion, lie congratulated them on the support they had given the organisation by taking up shares and sending cattle to the sale, and hoped at the con-

clusion to be able to congratulate vendors on the prices realised. Three hearty (dicers were then given for the

sjuooess of the company. Mr, L. E. .Tacksori, in the course of a few remarks, thanked farmers Tor the support they hfid extended tp liim

during the past seven years. Ha also read apoligies from Mr. S. W. Shaw (Newton King) and R. Morrissey (New, Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co.), ami thanked the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. for the use of their yardß.

The sale opened with the hulls, tlif! ■'ini' als to he put through the yards fir " being owned by Mr. C. Malcolm and pur >ased f>y Mr. ,A. Barlow ( £l4) and McDonald Bros. (£8 10s). A cow presented by Mr. D. T. Leahy (Eltliain Road) was sold on behalf of the Belgian Fund, and realised £lO ]Bs 11. Buckcridge £5 10s, J. It. Corrigan £5 18s, and IPatea Freezing Company £5 10s). Eight bags of potatoes, prosuited by Mr. «T. A. Pcttigrew, and sold on behalf of the same fund, realised £4, Mr G. H. Buckcridge being the purchaser. The sale then proceeded briskly until a late hour, goi&d prices being realised in the majority of cases, the prospects of an early removal of the congestion at the freezing works no doubt facilitating the bidding. Buyers were present from all parts of Taranaki, and as far south as Waverley. The Organisation Society will erect its Mcxt saleyards at Tnglewood. and a commencement will probably be made at early date.