DAIRY COMPANIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1920, Page 2

DAIRY COMPANIES.

AWATUNA. ITIto twenty-sixth annual meeting of shareholders of the Awatuna Dairy Factory Co,, \ Ltd., was held at Te Kiri on Wednesday. Mr. A. E. Collins, chairman of directors, presided over an attendance of 54 shareholders. DIRECTORS' REPORT. The directors' report stated that the whole of the season's output of cheese and part of the whey butter was disposed of through the Imperial Government under their contract. The company had had n fair increase In the supply of milk, which resulted in an increase of nearly 100 tons ot cheese over last year. This, together with careful management and (lie small jier cent, of second grades, enabled thein to make a very satisfactory pnyr lit. Tho result of the year's working allows a surplus of £7582 19s 6d, from which the directors recommended a payment of 5 per cent, interest on paid-up capital, which would' absorb £379, thus leaving a balatico available for distribution of £7203 10s (Id, enabling a further payment of 3>4d to be made over tho cheese period as soon as stocks have been realised, thus bringing tho total payments up to 2s for the season. This would still leave a small balance of £152, which together with a surplus over the previous season's working (being amount received in excels of estimates) £328 12s Id, the directors recommended he placed to a special funit for tho purpose of buying in shares at a price to be fixed. Statistics i'or the season, also those of previous season for comparison, the figures for 1919 bfjing In parentheses: Lbs milk, 14,302,170 ((fi,280,181); total lbs butter-fat, 530,617 (460.9C73; lbs ch;es6 made, 1,425,203 (1,205,882); IDs creamery butter made, GOG!i (2017); lbs whey buttor made, 35,065 (24,370); lbs cheese per lb butter-fat, cured weights, 2.6.1 (2.57); lbs milk per 111) cheese, 9.94 (10.16); overrun, 23 per cent, (19 per cent); cheese period average test for season, 3.74 (3.82); butter period, 4,14. In moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet, the chairman said they deSired to see the whole of the unused farms of to-day producing to their fullest capacity In tha immediate future. This was purely a cheesd and butter district; It was not a dry stock district., and this was emphasised by the fact that they had two good dairy factories here. Tlie fact that as a result of a little hit of exertion last year they had been able to secure two million pounds more milk for their factories than the total of the previous year, and that the cost of manufacture was practically the same, the production of nearly a hundred tons extra cheese at practically no extra cost, was a matter for sincere congratulation. This clearly showed tljnt in tho past the company had been suffering veiy considerably. in the matter of the lack of milk supply. Another matter he desired to refer to was the ratio of milk to cheese. During the past year it took 9.941bs of milk to one pound of chee?e; the previous year It took 10-lSlbs—a difference of nearly a quarter pound of milk. This went to show that their managers could not make cheese out of water. (Laughter.) The chainman: You may laugh, but statistics speak for themselves. Continuing, the chairman remarked that they were a co-operative concern In name, but (hey should all strive to make It a concern worth bolonglng to. He did not suggest that they should try to compete with their neighboring companies, but merely to keep abreast of them. For that reason he had a few recommendations that he would lay before the new board of directors In the direction of progressive co-operation. Amongst those suggestions would be one lo secure a federation of all the co-operative dairy companies in South Taranaki. During the past year a scheme for marketing their produce had been put forward' in conjunction with the C.W.S. people in England, but they felt that up to the present the scheme had not been sufficiently developed .to Justify New Zealand dairy companies linking up with it, and for .that, reason the directors of the Awatuna Dairy Co. had decided to fall back on their old friends, tho To.oley Street merchants. After vory careful consideration the directors hod decided to send the earning season's output on open consignment through Messrs. A. and J. Mills—a. firm of very high repute. They would remember that at a special meetin? of shareholders the directors wore requested :o bring down a report on the development of water power for their factories. This was laid before them some time hack, and he d!;i not know that he could add anything lo the prop Is i;hen made He would like, however, to say ibis; that as chairman of the company he would not feel Inclined to advise them to go on with any scheme at present because of the very heavy cost of materials, the uncertainty of being able to procure them, and because, too, of the probability, if they went on with the work, they would find that instead of costing £7OOO, the estimated price, It would cost twice that amount. A considerable discussion took placo as to tho price to be offered by the company. Mr. Hurst moved that tho company offer 15s per share. Mr. Woolford moved as an amendment that the price be 12s Od, and Mr. Sims - moved as a further amendment that the price be left to the discretion of the directors. On a show of hnnds the last amendment received five votes, Mr. Woolford's 19 votes, and Mr. Hurst's 23 votes. . COW-TESTING ASSOCIATION. Mr. Ferguson moved that the directors be instructed to take the necessary steps lo form a 'cow-testing association. He statod that ho liad been approached by several suppliers requesting the formation of nn association, not only to enable them to find out the value of their Individual cows, but suppliers could then form an idea of what their average test should be at the factory, and In this way prevent a lot of growling. ■ Tho chainman supported the motion, con- [ slderlng it a step In the right direction, Thoy would all agree that many must he -milking cows merely on appearances, and without any definite knowledge of how much butter-fat they were giving, and it was quite possible they were milking a lot of wasters. With (he present inflated price of land there never was a time It was more necessary to know exactly what each cow was doing.

'After a brief discussion the motion was carried unanimously. STANDARDISED EALANCE-SHEETS. Mr. Buckerldge moved that It be a recommendation to the directors to further any movement for the federation of South Taranaki co-operative factories, or, if necessary, to initiate same, and particularly In regard to standardised balance-sheets. In support of this he addt{c6d arguments similar to those put forward at other dairy company meetings and already published In these columns. THANKS. Mr. Buckerldge, in moving votes Of thanks, said the company was losing the services of one of its oldest directors. He therefore had pleasure In moving that the company place on record their very great appreciation of the services rendered by Mr. C. A. Woolford during his long term ot office as a director of the company. The motion was carried with acclamation. Votes of thanks were also passed to the general manager and branch managers and their respective staffs for services reudered during the past year, also to the ladies who had provided luncheon for the shareholders at the meetings. A bonus of £25 was granted the manager of the Taungatara factory for tho splendid results he had obtained during the past sea.soii.—Abridged from Star.