A NEW DAIRY FACTORY.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 September 1918, Page 3

A NEW DAIRY FACTORY.

QPENED AT PEMBKOKE ROAD. INTERESTING SPEECHES, There was a fine attendance of farmers and visitors to the new cheese factory recently built by Mr J. W. Boon, contractor, and which was officially openMP° U h i' alr C - A- Wi'lkiiiou, Mr A. Eelcher, chairman of directors occupied the chair, a:id after the visitors ia<l sat down to a tasty luncheon and had a thorough look over the premises, Mr Belcher said he had pleasure in giv"iff a hearty welcome to all, particularly to Mr Wilkinson, who was looking after the Stratford district, in conjunction with Mr Okey, during the absence of their member, Captain J. b. Hine laranaki was very fortunate in having a representative like Mr Wilkinson to look after their interests, a man who possessed a good knowledge of farming He then called upon the member for Egmont to address those present. Mr Wilkinson, who was received with applause, said the Daily News had that morning announced that Captain Hine »-as returning in charge of an Australian and New Zealand body,.and it was matter of eongratulationjo the member of the district and SWtford people that tins honor had been conferred upon them. He also desired to congratulate the directors and suppliers on their very fine tactory. It indicated energy and enterprise and showed a great faith in the future. Dairying was a great asset to tl'-e country, and this waa the chief dairying centre in New Zealand. In the •arly days dairying was unknown. The progress was stupendous, and he would be pardoned for saving it had lifted some lariners from poverty to a state of [ifTluence. There were some city people who believed that the farmers generally had done remarkably well, but after .riving the matter very' careful attention"he was satisfied the farmer did not get 'too much for his work. He spoke on the suggested equalisation tars. This was not at all favorable to the farmers, and as a country representative he took a prominent part in killing the Bill. A fanner's success lay in the condition of tne land, and the hours he and his wife ftnd children worked, and they were not paid too much. The bulk of'the parliamentary representatives were from cities He acknowledged the work and assist-' : nnca of the Premier, Mr. Massey, in defeating the proposal. For the year ended July, 1018, butter lied decreased 1141 tons, but against this there had been an increase of 3418 tons of cheese. Although there had been a general shortage of labor, the total value, including hunie consumption, was about £10,000," 000. Considerable progress had been made in casein, and .iflT tons of rennet casein and ?A0 tons of lactic acid casein prepared for export, whilst a process had been evolved to obtain casein from but-ter-milk.

The speaker next touched on the milk productivity per cow. At present the average was 1601b. but in one district the herds averaged 2601b. and if they could lift the stock to the latter figure it would mean a further -C. 7 ).700,000. The Hon. D. H. Outline, as they could see, was able to announce much better prospect* regarding shipping. The amount of cheese in store was 278,205 crates and 107.480 boxes of butter. Shipping a little time hack looked very serious for the dairy producers, but by the influence of the two leaders at Home with the Imperial Controller the shipping prospects had materially improved. Although not exactly bright, they were decidedly encouraging. It would now appear that at the end of 1018 the amount of these commodities in store would bo about normal. Encouraging reports as to sales and prices had reached New Zealand from the Prime Minister in London. The total amount received by producers from the Imperial Supplies Department amounted to £70,000,000, and the value of the chief commodities in store was £20,00fi,000. Continuing, Mr. Wilkinson said there was a big scheme on foot for the development of New Plymouth harbor. It was essential to have direct shipment for perishable goods, and with a deep-sea harbor for this province the savjfig would be considerable. Another vital question to Taranaki was the developing of electrical energy for power and lighting. There were great possibilities in this direction. It would make home-life in the country much more comfortable, and the saving by this power in the milkingshed against benzine woifld be a big factor to the farmer. In the streams and rivers they had a motive power running to waste, and by harnessing this they could produce power at a much lesser rate than benzine. This also meant that the money, instead of going out of the Dominion, would be saved to the province. The House was considering the question, and would help the people to establish centres where power could be sold at the very lowest price, He was sure this would make country life much more attractive. He concluded by congratulating the directors and suppliers on the very substantial works, and was sure the directors would look after the interests of suppliers, who were deserving of every encouragement for their enterprise and industry. (Applause.)

Mr. Belcher then called upon Mr. E. Walter, chairman of the County Council, and in doing so thanked the county and also the engineer, Mr. W. J. Lopdell, for a lot of assistance given them dm :ng the erection. Mr. E. Walter said he was pleased to be present. As a public official he expected to pet a "slating," but the coun- | cillors tried to do their best to the roads [with the funds available. If Mr. vtfjlkinson would let them keep the toll-gates going for another three or four years they would have much better roads. Touching on the market price of produce, he thought it was only a fair thing that the wealthy class living in the cities should pay a price for butter more in keeping with the cost of production. He was pleased with the faith of the farmers of this locality. It indicated that they believed in the future and in the productivity of their farms. They had not built the factory for the Kaiser. The county was blamed for many tliinss, but lie wanted farmers to realise that labor wa9 scarce, and often when obtainable it was unsuitable. Despite this, he thought they were enjoying pretty good times, all things considered; and nothing was paying better at the present time than milking the cow. Tie trusted that on the occasion of his next visit the locality would have better roads. (The road was in very good order, but a new road had been made to the factory from the main road, and in consequence of the persistent rain it was very muddy.) Mr. J. B. Richards, Chamber of Commerce, added his appreciation of the pliers' factory, which possessed all. the' comforts and onveniences possible, and deserved all the success they were looking for. which also meant success to W&iSaxA. »*»}. *kewhere. There ma a

time when people stated that the land under the mountain was no good, but things had changed since then, and now : this portion was recognised as good and valuable. He was pleased to see that ithis was a co-operative company. Twenty jears ago he was working for a proprietary concern.. A proprietary company was out to make all it could Crom the farmer, and he hoped they i would always resist to the uttermost >iny attempt to introduce proprietary ownership. They owned the roads, ana Mr. Wilkinson had mentioned the big harbor scheme, and he would Like the people to go a step further and own the shipping. If one stopped to study the map of New Zealand one must admit that the Dominion was a maritime country, and he hoped in time thev would possess a shipping fleet of their own. Ho congratulated the suppliers on going in for cheese instead of butter, the latter not giving the sanfe returns. In these troublous times they desired to get the most out of the land, and a gallon of milk would produce a good deal more food in the shape of cheese than if made into butter. Touching on prepartig the land, he said they should speed the plough. The Model Dairy Farm had been started in Stratford to demonstrate and experiment on agricultural matters. The society was endeavoring to lead the farmers as much as possible and invited their hearty co-operation. Reverting to preparing the land, some believed in topdressing, but he preferred stumping, clearing, and then ploughing. Ho concluded by wishing the company all good luck. Mr. R. Masters, chairman of the Education Board, congratulated the farmers on their enterprise in building a factory that was the last word. A first-class job had been made, but this was characteristic of the work of Mr. Boon. He did not know whether the dairying had much to do with the Education Board, but the latter had a duty to the child. jThe board employed agricultural instructors to go through the province ami teach the farmers how to farm, but many did not require any help in that direction, or at least thought they lind nothing further to learn. His opinion was that their instructors should teach the boys end the Agricultural Department the farmers. Prices for land were increasing I rapidly, and those on the land would need to go in for more intensive farming. ■ It was unfortunate that there were some farmers under the impression that they could learn no more, and he thought it wisdom to start on the boy. The Model Dairy Farm was deserving of support. The desire was to give practical instruction on all phases of farming. They hoped in the future to give the student every possible chance of making the [most of his future profession. He was in accord with Mr. Wilkinson regarding electrical power. Excepting Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, he knew of [no other country that had the same chances as New Zealand in that direction. He hoped to see the Bill pass through the House. New Zealand had a population of 1,000.000, and should be carrying 10,000.000. They wanted more industries. They should not have to export the raw material to other lands and then import the manufactured article. This would be one of tha most important questions of the future. Touching on the harbor scheme, he thought every farmer in the district with a knowledge of its importance should do his utmost to help it along. When the day of the poll came he hoped they would all roll up and give their support. All must admit that direct boats to New Plymouth would be of immense I benefit. In salt and fertilisers they would save 15s to 10s per ton. Mr. Murray, representing Nathan & Co., added his congratulation. While everything was provided for the manager (Mr. Gray) to manufacture a good article, it was up to the suppliers to seo he received first-class milk. He knew from his own experience in some districts ftat some farmers put water in their milk. The motives of such a farmer were (1) that he was endeavoring to beat the tester; (2) he was trying to beat the supplier who was honest and was not watering his milk. There was only one way to treat a supplier like that. Mr. Wilkinson had mentioned a district where the cows averaged 200 lb' of milk. He believed this was at Cheltenham, in the Manawatu, but it was not the whole district, but rather SOO or 000 cows that were on semi-official testing by the Herd Testing Association. It would be a fine thing if they could bring the average up to these figures. In bringing out balance-sheets he thought they were often very vague, and gave the merest details. He touched on some factories using starter cream in whey butter. Two tons of whey butter for every 100 tons' of cheese was a legitimate average. He concluded by reminding those present that "man's life v;i>» full of trouble. He came into the world without his consent and left without his desire. When he was young he was kissed by the ladies, and when old by the children. If he gave to charity he was soft, and if he refused he was stingy, and altogether he had a very rocky passage." (Laughter.) Mr. Richards, chairman of the Cardiff Company, said his factory had been through the mill. It was a lone; time back, and he was not sure whether the farmers made the factory or the factory made the farmers. They had spoken of 2001b cows and the average of lfiOlb. Well, he questioned whether in the old days the cow average would go 001b. They had to work in those days to keep the cows and farms, and if the position was now reversed it was about time. Tilings were much more prosperous now, and co-operation was noticeable everywhere. Pembroke Road Company had looked well ahead, and their factory should suit their requirements for many years. In Cardiff's time they had not anticipated the increase, and from time to time had made three enlargements, and had now made a new factory. He wished the company every success in the future. Mr. Wilkinson then declared the building opened, and trusted its doors would nevor be closed. A very tasty luncheon was provided, presided' over' by Mesdames Belcher, Wicksteed, McCracken, and McKendry, and Missos Elsie Wickstead. Ivy McCracken. Doris McCracken, Laura Gibson, and Emily Rogers. Before dispersing, afternoon tea was provided, and then it was a case of home again to Stratford. THE BUILDINGS DESCRIBEBD. ResardinV the buildings, it should be mentioned "that the site is a model one, bein" selected on high ground, with a ■rradual slope all round, and with water verv close. Situated on the corner of Pembroke and Cardiff Roads, the milk carts approach from the former and go out bv the latter. The walls and floor are o'f concrete, neatly plastered, and the roof of corrugated iron, painted with bright English oxide. The receiving stage is of concrete, with rennet room under and concrete roadway in front. The testing room adjoins. The making room is 99ft. Dy 30ft., erected for five large vats, with capacity \j> 4600 gallon* of mttH. separators,

churns, pumps, etc. The whey is carried m tiled drain to tiled sweet whey tank, with capacity of 2700 gallon*. The outside whey tank (3400 gallons) and stand are of totara, with concrete foundations and concrete roadway in front. The cool room for butter is convenient and will hold 390 boxes of butter. The curing room is fitted with shelves in the most up-to-date style, and will carry 1728 large cheeses. Adjoining is the packing room, 30ft. by 20ft., the road to which is below th* floor height, making loading easy. A teo is built about the centre of the making-room, containing a large boiler-room, engine-room, bath-room, and salt-room, making everything convenient to work. All surface and wash water, also whey from sweet whey tank, are taken to a manhole, thence to the river in earthenware pipes. The building is well lighted and well ventilated all through, and, the manager says, is moat convenient in every detail, and reflects great credit on the directors and Mr. Jos.' W. Boon, the designer and builder. Two new five-room houses with all conveniences have also been erected for the manager and assistant. This is the fifth cheese factory Mr. Jos. W. Boon has erected within twelve months, and with them five houses.