FROM CHEESE TO BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1920, Page 5

FROM CHEESE TO BUTTER.

STRATFORD FACTORY CHANGES OVER. (From Our Own Correspondent.) '" Stratford, Last Night. At a meeting of directors of thft Stratford Co-operative Association held to-day, it was unanimously decided to manufacture butter instead of cheese as from January 1, 1!)21. Mr. F. Runford, chairman of directors, stated after the meeting that the decision had been arrived at after full consideration of the condition of the market. " On the evidence in front of them and on the advice of experts they came to .the conclusion that butter was a better commodity, as far as the present season was concerned, than cheese. It was not a question of cheese not being good to manufacture, but just a question of comparative values. Having the dual plant and seeing that .the, best portion of the supply for cheese manufacture (the low-testing portion) had already gone into cheese, the directors decided to accept the certainty of 2s (id a lb for butter instead of continuing to manufac-1 ture cheese with an uncertain market Mr. Ranford added that the directors had no regrets whatever in the matter, but having the dual plant had decided that it was in bhe best interests of the supplies to make the change. The company has four factories which will be affected by the change. The main factory at Stratford lias been manufacturing both butter and cheese, but Toko, Huinga and Douglas factories, which have been making cheese only, will now be converted into creameries. Already the company has creameries at Skinner Road, Gordon Road and Makuri, which, have been supplying cream direct to the main factory at Stratford for manufacture into butter. The change will result in a considerable decrease in working exfenses, owing to the consequent reductions in the staff at the outside factories.