FACTORY AMALGAMATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1917, Page 6

FACTORY AMALGAMATION.

'DISCUSSION 'AT COUNTY COUNCIL. At the Waimate West County Council's meeting 011 Thursday, Cr. Stevenson drew attention to the recent discussion on the suggested amalgamation of the Kaupokonui and Joll's Dairy Factory Companies. He could speak disinterestedly on this matter because he was merely a grazier; he was not milking any cows, and therefore had 110 axe to grind. But, speaking as a ratepayer, lie protested against the unnecessary wear and tear that was taking place on their roads as a result of the overlapping of their milk traffic. Quite a number of people went a mile or a mile and a half past one factory to take their milk to ■another factory, and this overlapping was .all helping to grind their roads to pieces. They frequently talked about the heavy traffic their roads had to carry in the carting of tlieir produce—cheese and butter—to the markets, but by far the greatest damage to'their roads resulted from the milk traffic. For every pound of the manufactured article that was carted over the roads there was roughly twenty pounds of imilk carted twice. He was not interested in either the Kaupokonui or the Joll's Dairy Company, but he was firmly of opinion that if the amalgamation of these two companies could be brought about it would be a very good l thing; it would mean a great saving in the upkeep of their roads, and it would certainly be in the interest of ratepayers. Cr. Long said that lie was a director of the Kaupokonui Dairy 'Factory Co., but had never publicly advocated amalgamation of the two companies, although he was fully aware that it was'the proper thing to do. The strange thing was that the moment anybody connected with Kaupokonui said anything about amalgamation some people immediately suggested that they wanted Joll's to come in to help carry tlieir load. That was the biggest mistake in the world; Kaupokonui did not want assistance from anyone; all they did want was that the shareholders of both companies should have their produce manufactured at a cheaper rate than they were manufacturing at present. Amalgamation would not assist Kaupokonui solely; it would assist the suppliers of both companies; it would save them money, and it would save the county roads as well. At present they had in places twß factories where one would do, and consequently they had to pay two managers find two staffs where the whole of the work could be dona by one manager and one staff. Kaupokonui had' no axe to grind; they desired amalgamation because they realised that it would be a good thing for the district. The directors of the two companies had already met, but he would like to see a meeting called in some hall of the shareholders of both companies, so that they could then hear all the arguments for and against, and that was the only way that amalgamation could be accomplished. The chairman endorsed the remarks of the previous speakers so far as the position concerned the county roads. It waq a great pity that some people who should bo working for economy were pulling in the other way; and their roads were all the while being worn out to no purpose. So far as amalgamation of the two companies was concerned that was a matter for the companies themselves' to come to some understanding over, .but no one could say that there would be anything to lose by it; on the contrary there was a great deal to be gained. From what he heard at the/Military Service Appeal Board in Hawfra it appeared certain that some factories would have to close up in the near future for the want of men, and he trusted that that probability would be the means of bringing dairy factory companies more closely together to consider the best means of economising labor, and incidentally avoiding unnecessary traffic on their roads. Personally he was out for amalgamation, and always had been. He had long ago come to the conclusion that amalgamation was Ehe proper thing, and he. trusted that it would come about before long. . No resolution was proposed, and the matter was not further discussed.—Star.