AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2038, 30 July 1885, Page 2

AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Ot whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press th« People's right maintain, Unaucd by influence and unbnbed by gain.

THURSDAY, JULY JO, 18S5.

A very noticeable feature in the reports of the Wsukato and Te Awamutu Cheese Factories' directors is the reference to the inferior quality of the milk supplied during the past season. Some of the milk received at the Te Awamutu factory registered as low as two per cent ; in the other it was not quite so bad. Now when milk is of such a low standard as that there is a strong suspicion that the pump as well as the cow has assisted to fill the can, and it is not to be wondered at that the factoi ics have worked at a loss. .Suppliers who send such milk are simply doing their best to kill the goose that lays the golden egg, for it is very e\idcnt that the factories cannot continue to pay full price for such milk. Sooner or later, unless steps are taken to insure that the milk supplied is of good quality, they must go to the wall. Many suppliers are averse to having the price reduced, forgetting that those who have invested their money in the companies are also entitled to some consideration. The chief difficulty we see in the matter is to adopt a course that will give satisfaction to the non-supplying as well as to supplying shareholder. The latter wants the highest price he can get for his produce, while the former thinks such a price only should be paid as will allow of a fair margin of profit. The farmers might very reasonably agree to supply milk for one season at a reduced rate to enable the factories be put in a better position. They have had a very good innings, and it would be only fair, in view of the present depressed state of the markets, to accept a price for the milk more in conformity with the price of cheese. The directors of the Waikato factory attribute their heavy loss this year to the milk being of poorer quality than during the previous season, and the same cause helped to contribute to the loss made by the Te Awamutu factory. We would suggest that the milk should be strictly tested daily, that a minimum standard should be fixed, and that either no milk under such percentage should be received, or a lower price should be paid for it. When milk ranges as low as two per cent, it is time a more rigid system of testing were instituted. In the case referred to, when the suppliers were warned that their milk would not be received again if not of bettor quality, thero was a sudden rise or ten per cent, in the next days supply, which was perhaps owing to the supply of water to the cows being reduced ! The cheese factories have been a boon to the small farmers, and the least that can be expected of them is that they should give them encouragement by meeting the directors half-way in their eftbrts to make the industry a success. We are pleased to notice that some of the gentiemen who were present at the meeting on Monday evening, expressed their readiness to accept a reduced price, and we hope others will follow their good example. If the factories* are successful, they cnnnot fail to exercise a beneficial influence on the farming ir^ustry, upon the prosperity of which everything else depends.

Commander Edwin telegraphed at 3.40 p.m. yesterday :—Expect bad weathct between north and west and south-west, and further rise of glass.

A meeting of the Hamilton branch of tho Blue Ribbon Army will bo held in tho Public ILill to-night. All are earnestly invited.

The Green Leaf concert company are advertised to appear in the Public Hall, Hamilton, to-morrow evening. The enter tainment, which ih well spoken of, will conclude with a danco.

The road between the Waikato and Karapno budge-, at Cambridge foil into disrepair during the recent heavy rain. Large slips of .sand were washed across tho road. Tho town board surfaceman has been busily engaged putting tho road right ag.iin.

We would draw the attention of srttlers and others in tho l'ukekura district to tho f.ict that tho adjournod meeting in connection with tho proponed cheese factory will bo held in the schoolroom to-morrow night. The committeo appointed at last meeting will submit its roport.

A meeting of the General Gordon Lodge, 1.0. G.T., was held at Cambridge on Monday evening. Thnre wan n large .ittendance of members, ard a very successful evening rosulted. T\vi following office™ were elected for tho ensuing quarter :—

W.V.T.j Bro. Chambers; W.C., Bio. Rev. W. Evuih ; W.S., Bro. Pnltrldge ; W.A.S.. Bro. W. Butler; W.M., Br>. Hitohiu; D.M., Bro. J. Riley ; W.1.G., Bro. Murphy: W.0.G., Bro. Macfarlane; W.F.S., Bro. L. Plaw : W.T., Bro. Parry. The P.W.C.T. it Bro Washington S. Stewart. Several nevr members were proposed.

The Hamilton Football Olub has accepted the ohallengo of the Cambridge Football Club to play ft match on Sydney Square, Hamilton, on Saturday next. The fo« ing in the list of thoHe from whom the Cambndgo toam \\ ill bo selected :—Messrs Irw in (captain), Pilling, Pntt, Kallendor, Matiricey (2), Carnachan, Allwright (2), Graham, Harman, Paltridgo, Parry, Siniter, Fitzgerald, McCann, Craig, Hartley, Pearson and Carter. The following are the names of the Hamilton team :— Bmdon, Stevens, Mclntyre, Hinton, Cochrane, Odium, Benlo, Gwynne, Yon Stnrniei, Steole, Connolly, Davis, Thompson, Alii iffht, Reed. Emergencies : Dent, Kenny, Scorgie, Mayes, Martin. Playtra are requested to be on the ground at 2.30. The Hamilton team arc requested to 101 l up to practice this afternoon.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Hamilton East Band of Hope was held on Tuesday night in the Presbyterian Church. There was a fair attendance of children, owing to the stato of the weather, and a \ ory pleasant evening was Hpent. Mr Cochrano occupied the chair, and the following programme was gone through :—: — Recitation, Matthew Orr; riddles, James Bastable; holo, Miss Steadman; riddles, Colin LeQuosne; rending, John Calderwood; riddles, Cecilia LeC^uesno; recitation, Cecilia LeQuesne; riddles, Allvert Lc<2uenne. Mr Cochrano mado a few remarks to tho children on the cause of temperance, and hoped that overy one of thorn would do their best to promote it. Mr Cochrano also drow their attention to the catechism competition, which tho Auckland Band of Hope Union intended opening to the Band of Ho]>e which got tne largest percentage of marks. A prize of the value of £T> is to be givon, and he hoped that all the members wmild try their best to secure the pii/.e. A meeting of the committee will bo held on Tuesday, the 4th August, at half-past Reven. The meeting concluded with the singing of a hymn.

By the provisions of the will of the late Mr J. T. Mackelvie the residue of his property, after paying certain legacies, amounting to between £40,000 and fi.W.OOO is to be vested in the hands of Dr. Campbell, Messrs D. L. Murdoch, Thomas Russell and Albin Martin " for the purpose of erecting, in tho first place, a picture gallery in Auckland, not exceeding in cost ten thousand pounds. A portion of the balance to be invested, of which the income is to be applied to the care and maintenance of the building, and the residue to be spent in the purchase of pictures and works of art for tho gallery. In thin building also are to be placed all tho pictures and other works of art which were at the time of his death in his residence at Westminstor, the valuable accumulations of many years of careful and discriminating c Election ; and it is expressly provided in tho will that tho Gallery in to be thrown open every day in the week, Sundays as well as ordinary days, free to the public for ever. I believe that there is nothing in Mr Mackelvie's will to absolutely necessitate the erection of a .special building for the purpose, or to preclude tho trustees fiom availing themselves of a portion of the Free Public Library in Auckland, or any other adequate building which may bo available for the purpose, and that in buch event tho trustees would be empowered to apply tho €10,000 allocated for building fund to the purchase of additional works of art for the Gallery." This is the opinion of the London coriospondcnt of the Auckland Herald, but our contemporary understands that ono at least of the trustees holds a different view, and it is further stated that in the will of the late Mr Mackclvio (which by tho way was mado in 1877) a desire is expressed that the art gallery should bo erected on a portion of the ground now attached to Government House, if a site can be secured with perpetual possession.