FARMERS DIVIDED

Taranaki Daily News, 27 July 1915, Page 6

FARMERS DIVIDED

lit)Ml''. SEPAIiATIoX MOA DAiIiVMEX 1 USTH.IXK ])!>- < VNSIi >x. To consider the question of home separation 01 cream a meeting of shareholders of the Moa farmers' Co-opera-tive Daily Co. was licid at Inglewood j 011 -Saturday afternoon. Mr. W. .lonos presided over a good attendance. | '1 he chairman said the meeting was ; called not to force home sopa >a( io'i, as i some. seemed to think, -but to consider tlie question. The quo.tiou to bo de- : t-iilod was whether the shareholders were 1 prepared to pa\ to tile suppliers the dilt'erenoe if the creameries were closed down. j Voices: No. we're not. 1 Mr. Kgarr said that all were not pre- ! pared, to put in separators themselves i when they could semi it to the croiim- ' cries, ai'il while some eoi.h't nit ; a (lord it, others who could allcrcl •it would not be incline,l to. If a man wanted to put in a home separator he ; had a. right to do so, hut it was not : right that the shareholders could do- : oide that. everyone must do it. Those who wanted to go to a creamery should l:o allowed to do so. Those men who had paid for the creameries had a perfect right to use them if they wanted to. (Hour, hear). The chairman said the last speaker -coined to think it was proposed to foivo home separation, but this was not so. .Mr. ,T. (). Taylor said it was too late this year to begin home separation, and ' he would move that the question should ' be hold over for nine months. A voice: Say ten years. I Mr Hunt seconded the resolution. ; Mr. Sole suggested that a. dual plant should bo provided at the main factory and curd plants at the creameries. Mr. Bakcwoll did not thinii "t. was right that creameries should -he shut down at the dietaiion of a few men who favored home separation. ''The case against ho creameries has all been trumped up,'' ho declared. The chairman: I challenge that statement. 'Mr. fiakowoll: We are overdrawn at the bank and where are you going to get more money. The Lord only knows. A voice: lie won't help. The chairman then called .Mr. Bakewoll to order, as he was discussing mutters not before the meeting. "Von are not going to call me down," retaliated .Mr, Bakewell. 'lie said that what was proposed would mean that in order to save the company .tIOO tliey would be asking the farmers to pay about „C WO per man to meet the large cost consequent on the change. The company was setting out to shift the burden from its shoulders to the shoulders of the shareholders. Mr. Bakewell supported the resolution anil suggested a. meeting :o consider the question should bo held on the first Saturday in April, 101l>. A shareholder: And while you're about I it make it on April 1. | The resolution to aiostpone discussion 011 the subject until April, 1010, Was then put and carried on the voices. MlTiv TKT imttGS TRGl'liLlv I The chairman then referred to the fact j that there had been 11 tremendous drop in the test at the Waitui creamery, and he asked the meeting if it would bo prepared to pay 011 the average test. Mr. Dean: Before we go any further [ want to know from the chairman if the directors have confidence in their

manager. The chairman: Yes, we have every confidence ill him. (Applause). .Mr. Taylor then moved that the Waitui supplier., should be paid on the average test. There was, he said, a lot of ill-feeling over this matter. There was something wrong, and it was only fair that the suppliers should get a fair deal. Mr. Weston seconded the motion. Tie thought the matter should be left in the hands of the manager, in whom the shareholders had every confidence. The manager of the factory said he took the test in the usual way, and it was the lowest he knew in his experience, tout he could not account for such I a low test. He could not understand in any way why the test was so low. , A shareholder pointed out that if this . resolution were carried a bad precedent would be created, as every supplier would approach the company when his test, became loav. Mr. -Sole that a suhscrip- ' tion should l-.e taken u:> for the Waitui , suppliers who ha v e lo>t. ] Vole-: We wouldn't take it. . The chairman pointed out that it , would be illegal to arrive at a definite ] ■'eeishoi then and the matter would f hive to be iituuliM up again at the an- ■; I'.ua! meeting. Mr. Williams iWailii'i: I for one won't wait for the I meeting. I've got the la.w and i'Ki '.'eie; io n-e it. | 'The ,