CORRESPONDENCE. FARMER'S CO-OPERATION AND MILLING.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1523, 8 April 1882, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE. FARMER'S CO-OPERATION AND MILLING.

TO THE KDITOB. Sm,— ln travelling through Waikato a few weeks ago, but more especially in Hamilton and Cambridge, I found a favorite topic of conversation to be the proposed Waikato Fanner's Co-operative Association, to encourage the growth of wheat, by erecting, granaries and a mill. As to the last, the erection of a mill, there scorned to be a conflict of opinion, one party asserting that it was necessary for the association to have a mill m their own hands, as the millers did not give the grower a fair price for the wheat, the other side arguing that as there were three mills at work in Waikato the one miller must bid against the other, and the grower would in that way be sure to get the fair market price. As none of the debaters whom I heard seemed to have any practical knowledge of the matter I thought when I returned to Auckland I would jot down a few particular, in the hope of assisting the association to decide as to whether they should erect a mill or not. I have had a pretty considerable expciience in the working of small country flour mills in New Zealand, and the association may rely that the figures annexed are the result of my actual experience of years, except the present price of wheat and flour, which I found out for myself when in Waikato last month. I will take as an example just such a mill as the association proposes to erect, namely, driven by water-nower, and to have (at the first) only one pair of 4ft. or 4ft. Gin. stones, with all the needful plant for such. This mill would grind one ton of Hour per day of eight hours, and would require a miller and one man to work it. The wheat required for the year would be 16,000 bushels, and I will suppose it can all be purchased in Waikato by taking delivery from the farmers immecKataly after harvest in the months of February and March in each year. I have been told that the millers this year are giving 4s Gd to 4s 9d a bushel for fair milling wheat, and that their price for best flour is £13 a ton. In our calculation, to the first must be added the interest on capital invested in the wheat during the year, insurance on ditto, and waste by vermin, &c, &c. ; from the last must be deducted the usual trade discount and allowance for bad debts. Dr. iG.ooo bushels wheat at 4s nd, L-),8oo ; interest on L.3,000 for six months, ditto L 1.500 three months, Liooo three months, at eight per ccnt,"Li7O ; insurance on L2ooo, at 40s per cent, L4O ; waste by vermin, say L 25 j wages, miller, L 15 6; labourer or assistant L 10 4; rent of buildings, and interest on money laid out on machinery and plant, say 10 per cent .on £1500, L 15 0; wear and tear on machinery, and insurance, on building and plant, say L5O : Total, L 4495. Cr. Proch.ds. — 320 tons flour, at Ll3, L 416 0: 100 tons bran, at L 5 10s, L 55 0; 40 tons sharps, at L 5 10s, L 22 0; 400 bags fowl wheat, at 3s 6a, L7O : Total, L5OOO. Less trade discounts z£ per cent., bad debts per cent., L375— L4625. Thus leaving the • miller,- in addition to interest for his money, wages and rent, a margin of £130, with the chance of tlie rise in price of flour, which usually take's place in October or November, of 20s to 30a per ton, for, say, two months in the year, as the price falls again in January. Hoping that these rough notes will be of use to. the proposed association. — I am, etc., '•■ ■ ' t Old Miller, Auckland, April 4th.

•A dear old lady: "No," said Mrs Goodington, casting her eyes .over her speck to the silhouette of her lamented Daniel, " I can't say as I like to see" a man too stout, but just a little inclined t<Mpetulancy, you know. Those « "dynamite bricks" said to be shipped to, England, are very harmless affair's. ' They are less dangerous than the spirituous brick a man carries home in his hat. The latter will causa an explosion— if the man's wife is not too weak to discharge her lingual fireworks. Shabks have appeared at Sing Sing, and it is in order for the funny newspaper men to say a great many sharks have been there for years behind the iron. bars. A successful race-horse always wins by four feet, yet be, may come two feet ahead ; and yet if it wasn't for feet he would forfeit the race.