The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1883.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1141, 28 August 1883, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1883.

TEMUKA DAIRY FACTOUY. We cannot gay that we were altogether pleased with the report submitted by the Directors of the Temnka Butter, Cheese and Bacon-curing Factory Company, Limited, to the general meeting last Thursday, The Directors took a vi-ry gloomy view o.f the future of the industry, because some one told them three days beforehand that noma cheese forwarded to England had not reached its destination in good condition. We think they might as well have said nothing at all about it, and that the circumstances of the case did not justify the use of such depressing, melancholy language as that in which the report was couched, We do not know the source of the Directors' infaorm? tion, further than that we suspect the report refers to a consignment of badly-made cheese which was forwarded to England from a certain place we need not mention, and which got bad on the voyage. This consignment of cheese was the first made in the place referred to, it waa maie in a hurry and without due regard to its preparation for a long voyage, and hence the cause of its faliure. Now, we ask, is this sufficient reason for the Directors to corns with almost tears in their eyes before the general meeting and throw a cloud over the whole affair by expressing doubts as to whether the carriage of cheese to the London market could ever be 6afely accomplished ? Let us ask these gentlemen have they ever eaten cheese imported from England to this Colony, and if so what is to hinder cheese from making the journey to as safely ttsfrom England. If cheese can be brought safely from England to this colony 6urely it can bo taken back as well. In the face of this fact, and with the knowledge of the increasing advnntages which the refrigerating system offers, we do not think that it was necessary for the Directors to look at things in the very gloomy way they did. It was very commendable in them," no doubt, to conceal nothing, but we ask them what good did they do by being so squeamishly candid. Will their candour tchorten the voyage to England, or ehanga the temperature of the torrid zone, or do anything on earth to asnist in landing the produce of the company •.now safely in London ? or will the in - formation they gave do any good whatsoever to the shareholders ? We venture to say ,it will not, and coiwqaently we hold that it was not only a useless and unnecessary action on the'r part, but also a very miscbwvoui one to present such a gloomy view of th« industry at the very moment when it was about to start. To suppress the information could hare dona nobody harm, whilst its publication may have a very bad effect on the immediate future of the industry. There is no doubt but it will result in making many people less enthusiastic in lending it assistance. Persons who contemplated taking bhares will not do so now, and it will have a depressing effect on people's minds generally until time proves that the doleful lamentation of the directors was all bunkum. But the" Directors stultified themselves. They said in effect ' We are afraid it will never be a success because the cheesf cannot be curried safely to London. Btill, if you re-elect us we will become security to the bank for the overdraft which will be necessary to carry on the factory." Does this look as if the Directors believed in what they were saying? It does not, bat it looks uncommonly like a manoeuvre to induce the shareholders to re-elect them them to were successful, for they were re-elected ' all of a heap.' We presume that there is a fair share of human nature in them and that they find office rery sweet, as most people do. Unless it was; an * electioneering dodge,' we cannot realise how any men who have seen the up» and downs ot Colonial life, and who have hitherto fought life's battle successfully, could possibly be frightened by the fact that a few badly-made cheeses failed in reaching London in as palatable a condition as when they left the colony, while the fact remains indisputable that cheese has been safely imported long before the refrigerating system was thought of. They were not frightened, as shovtn by their willingness to become personally responsible for the overdraft. We trnst our readers will sen through all this, ami let nothing interfere with them in making the factory a succesa. We do not beli«v« t'uat th«r«

1-s the slightest danger of well-maid* cheese not reaching London in good condition. Surely if mutfoiranri beef can be placed in the London '.market as fresh as when it was killed in New Zealand there can be no difficulty in carrying cheese. £he whole thing is too silly on the very face of it for serious con • sideration, and consequently we hope it will make nobody hesitate to patronise the industry with as strong a faith in its ultimate success as he had previously to the- mischievous- words we have referred to being spoken. ASHBURTUtf CHEESE. Our leading article on the report of the Directors of the Butter and Cheese factory was in type before we came across the following item of news in the Ashburton Mail :

Our readers wili be pleased to learn that samples of the Flemington Faq' tory cheese has reached Home in ■ jlendid condition. They were sent to Arbroath by Mr Bewick, of this town, in the month of March, in the ship Dallam Tower being under the care of the chief officer, Mr J. P. Anderson, M.- Bawiok's nephew. The consignment consisted of two oheeses, 96lbs each and reached their destination on the 22r»d June. Many of the good people of Arbroath had an opportunity of tasting the article, and it was unanimously pronounced excellent, regret being expressed that more had not been sent. The news of the success of the shipment reach-d Mr Bewick on Tuesday by the San Franoisco mail, from MiAnderson, the following being an extract from the letter :—' We had a very fino pas sage, excepting some rough weather off Cape Horn, and I was afraid of the cheeses, as my cabin was all afloat. Still; for all that, they came home in first-class order. I used to turn them over every other day. While in the warm weather they got rather soft, but as soon as we got into a temperate climate they got quite hard again, and I can assure you they were quite a treat.'

There liow, Messieurs Directors, are you satisfied ? Now, will yoa dry up your tears and go to work like men, instead of indulging in childish fears altogether unworthy of men? We again ask our readers uot to loose faith in the industry, and promise them, if thpy support it properly, shey will haw thoir reward* •