OUR WAIRARAPA CHEESE FACTORIES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2828, 21 February 1888, Page 2

OUR WAIRARAPA CHEESE FACTORIES.

The Taratahi Daily Company, The Company is Floated.

The Taratahi Dairy Company (Limited) was floated in 1882 with a nominal capital of £2OOO, about £I4OO of which was subscribed at the commencement, and the remaining £6OO was issued subsequently, chiefly to milk suppliers, At this time the Dairy Factory industry was in its infancy, and very little information was available to the first Directors, but at considerable pains they gathered what they could' from the EWale

Factory and from a £e\r persons in different parts of the; Colony.' - ; ; '.■ v | THE FACTORY IS ERECTED.'Sj ''3 ''■ ]$ ' The Directors called for offers:of 4o sites suitable'for a Factory, and it was - . v decided to erect it on 10 .i? were offered by Mr Burtw, wOlare-; . Ji ville,, The" Factory was then built furnished at a cost of about £2000,,: >ri and a Manager engaged in England, asT:;;,at that time experienced men were not to be had in tho Colohy, iind the Cora-, -j pany were fortunate in securing a rery.,-i capable man in Mr Foss, who still ' v ;'l fills the position.

' THE FIRST SEASON. •■■ The Factory was opened in October, 1884, and 4d per gallon of lOJlbs was given for the,milk. The first season's supply reached 750.gallons, daily, but. owing to the many difficulties which had to be overcome in findingamarket'; the Factory was only kept open till' March. The price paid for the milk had been, • however, reduced to 3|d ' per gallon in the pregloiig December./ Of this season's (IfJR) : make, trial shipments were made to the various ports of New Zealand, to Sydney, Brisbane, Kockhampton and London," the shipment to London showing,, the best results, the cheese having realised 62s and 64s per owt there, which is, wejbelieve,. the highest price yet in London for New Zealand cheese. ; The shipments to New South Wales and Queensland realised- very low prices, and the result of the season's operations was a heavy loss. '■•■ THELOOAIi MARKET SUFFICES. The following season the supply of milk was not so large, and a market was found- in Wellington for nearly the whole make, the only parcel exported being two tons sent home by the Doric, but as it arrived in a sweated condition the price was much lower than for the previous shipment, and only netted 2£ per lb. Tbe prices, obtaiued in Wellington were sufficient however, to prevent the Company making a further loss.

THE THIRD SEASON'S GOOD PRICES. The following season was one of good prices. Starting with 4§d and reaching 6|d a profit of £4OO wasflgle ' which somewhat renewed and the 3£d paid per gallon for the milk in the beginning of the season was again raised to 3|d. Lj«addition to tho high pncas cheese was sold very new, and there was very little shrinkage, EXPORT BECOMES GENERAL,. Last season the Australian markets were supplied from their own dairies, and there was again a large surplus of cheese on the local market, stocks being allowed to increase waiting to see what sort of season our Australian friends would have, but as the senson advanced it beeame apparent from tho continued rain reports that no cheese was wanted there. Then the directors turned to the English, market, but - there was no cool space available, as the shipping companies which had provided proper chambers in 1883, finding that there was no cargo to fill them done away with them, and ho apace could be had till the Aorangi and lonic were going on their last trip Home. Seven tons were then sent in the lonic as ordinary cargo, but in a special part of six tons were sent, in theWol jpmbers of the Aorangi. Tho latter" arrived in good order, but was not the description suitable to the English market, having been made for the colonial trade, and only realised 49s per cwt in London, That by the lonic had suffered from the heat ,and only realised 38s per cwt. THIS SEASONS DOINGS.

_ This season, the bulk of the cheese is being made specially for the English market, and the first shipment of 9 tons was sent Home in Iho cool chambers of the Doric, which boat arrived at Plymouth on the 15th insfc, and as the Directors arranged for advice by cable, the result of this shipment will be known in a few days. Seven tons have also been sent by the Arawa, and a like quantity is going by the lonic, which leaves Wellington . on the 4th March. . • THE ARRANGEMENT WITH THE MILK SUPPLIERS.

A different arrangement was made with the milk suppliers tbiafegason in the hope of securing a divi!pd, The Company guarantees 2Jd pergallon, and after payment of working expeos*)f depreciation, and a dividend of ff percent, tlw balance available (if any), is to be divided pro rata with the milk supplied,