PUBLIC MEETING AT BALLANCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4098, 27 April 1892, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING AT BALLANCE.

■ The Wairarapa Farmers' C. A. Nearly every settler in theßallance district assembled in the schoolroom on Friday night last, Bays the Pahiatua Star, to bear a proposal laid before them by Mr M. Caselberq, managing , director ef tbe Wairarapa Farmers' Co-Operative Association, to establish t a dairy factory in that district, As tho i bulk of the settlers in tho district are i old residents of Masterton it is almost ! needless to stato that Mr Caselberg, I, who was ttocompanied by Messrs W, i W. McCardle, and J. Vile, was ac* i corded a very hearty reception. Mr Eaton was voted to the chair, and Mr Caselberg, without any formal intrc duction to the meeting, at once explained his object in visiting them * that evening. As many of them were doubtless aware, he bad recently disposed of the business carried on in the Wairarapa for the past quarter of a century by M. Caselberg and Co to the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association, and tbe Association had since bought the business of Mr A. Birnio in Pahiotua, Under the Association everything would be carried on on purely co-operative principles, The Farmers' Association wanted to lie in touch with, and have the support of, every farmer from Pahiatua to Featherston. By this he did not mean that the Association were in want of capital, for they occupied a position seldom attained by new companies of this kind, inasmuch as over one-third of the capital was already paid up and more than one half of it subscribed. It was not, then, for the sake of getting additional capital that he desired their Co-operation; fnr should they require additional capital to extend their business, they could borrow on debentures on the uncancelled capital of the oompany in London at low rateß, which would enable them to find cheap money for their shareholders. Some of them might wonder what all this had to do with tbe establishment of a butter factory. He would tell them, As a 1 farmers' association, they telt that they must put producers in a position to get the best prices in tbe markets of the world for what they produced from the laud, and with this ' object! they intended to establish creameries, butter faotories, and in the older districts jam, pickle, and 1 bacon factories, and so on, as they found the requirements of the ' district necessitated. Mr Caselberg then made several proposals to pur- ' chase tbe milk and to divide tbe profits, on the co-operative principle, the Association building the factory and finding a market; but these were declined after discussion, The dairymen then made a proposal to supply their milk to n factory to be erected by the Association for a term of five years, all suppliers to become members of the Association, and to have skim milk returned to them, Mr Caselberg said that he had had considerable ex« periencein dairyproduce,andthat there would be virtually no profit to the Association in buying their milk at that price, but aB they expected each supplier to give their assistance and co-operation to the Association according to his means, his directors would consider the proposal, Mr Caselberg having promised to reply at an early date, Mr Croad said if he got a guarantee of threepence per gallon for all milkhe could supply for five years he would be willing to take twenty-five shares himself, Mr A, Anderson and several other settlers present also expressed their willingness to take shares if their proposal was agreed to. Messrs Vile and McCardle having briefly addressed the meeting and referred to tho prospects that were openl ing up for the district, votes ot thanks were passed for tho visitors and the i chairman and the meeting dunnm-d 1 —»«^—