EKETAHUNA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 December 1943, Page 5

EKETAHUNA

CREAM SUPPLIES POSITION OF EKETAHUNA FACTORY (“Times-Age” Special.) At Eketahuna tomorrow night a meeting will be held as a protest against the closing of the Eketahuna Co-operative Dairy Factory, recommended by the Executive Commission for Agriculture, of which Sir Francis Frazer is chairman. The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, the Minister of Lands, Mr Ben Roberts; the member for the district, Mr G. H. Mackley, and Mr Singleton, of the Dairy Division, have been invited to attend. The meeting is convened by the Mayor of Eketa- ( huna, Mr W. Olsen. In view of the proposed meeting, it is of interest to know that the N.Z. Dairy Board and the Masterton, Mauriceville and Featherston Co-operative Dairy Companies have indicated that they favoured the closing of the Eketahuna factory. In a statement to the Prime Minister some months ago the Masterton, Mauriceville and Featherston companies suggested that the Wairarapa be divided into northern, central and southern areas and that to ensure that an economic unit operated within each area an amalgamation be brought about between the Eketahuna and Mauriceville companies. The adoption of those suggestions, it was stated, would reduce the present mileage run by cream collection lorries by 54,410 miles per annum. Transport costs amounting to £7,300 would be saved and the transport of cream would be placed on a sound basis for all time. The statement pointed out that the companies represented 1,500 butter suppliers or 85 per cent of the suppliers of the district and that the movement for greater efficiency in the industry came from the industry itself. In 1942 the Dairy Board and the zoning authorities decided that the Eketahuna factory should be closed in the interests of zoning generally, as cream was being carted from the Lake district past other factories to Mauriceville. The zoning authorities considered that Mauriceville should cut out the Lake area to economise on petrol and tires and on account of its high capacity, to partly compensate the factory by closing the Eketahuna factory and diverting the supplies to the Mauriceville factory. For various reasons the zoning proposals were not given effect to until recently. The earthquakes last year damaged the Eketahuna factory and it was agreed by the zoning authorities that from an economic point of view the factory should not be rebuilt.