THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2346, 23 July 1887, Page 2

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

TO TMK KDITOK. Sik, —Vnur “ Milkman/* whn.se lettr-r appears in your issue *«f the 12th, refers to «>nr intention to estahli?h creameries throughout the province, an*! takes occasion to make a few remarks which are so evidently unfriendly* that they are likely to lack the influence which would otherwise have attached to them, lb-fore replying to the question which he asks and which, by the way, he answers f«T himself with more animus than correctness we may inform him that we have not yet made a proposal to occupy anv *>f the existing factory buildings in the Waikato, It is tm-3 that we have received cfurmnmi cations from gentlemen connected with directing them, lo which we have icplied. It has formed no important part of «*m plan to take possession af premises which are already erected, because, as a rale, ‘la v are unsuitable, ami have c uj ijv m eii-y than we should feel warranted cilh-r m recouping or paving interest upon. “ M ilkman " will ‘he: f<>re see that Ins cauli-m 1* factory direct- , • aas, barring its tone, oar entire approval. If the Waikato (.tiers sufficient eneoaragement for the enterprise we pi-:.p»<e. tlie company whicli we repre-mi will expect to erect its own pmui-es. whibh will be cheap, suitable structure', adapted to tlld requirements nf Ilia bnsincss, si* tliut tlie present f.ict'iies niiy. if directors generally are of “ Milkman's " mind, remain as at present. The tirel qim<tion asked is, “ What has I con the lesint <0 the past operations of the Freezing Coinp.uiy As the answer id which, )iy your correspondent, is the re-ult of evident prejudice and probably nf lack nf information, it is no wonder that it is nut a H iltering one. Onr past operations, then, have enabled producers to obtain cash prices for butter whicli have been generally in excess of its value on any market that has existed since we commenced bu-iness. Vm;; readers have already been told that th-v have received all, and mere than all, that we obtained for their butter. Wleic in re does even ‘•Milkman” want. It is not often that we are blamed for lack nf rare nr enteriiri.se in dealing with dairy produce. We have sought the world's markets wherever ships would carry our butter, and th it we have been repulsed again and again mi the plea of inferior butter is a cause nf discredit rather to the representative milkman who made it than to ourselves who have spent our best efforts in saving it. We explained this in a letter which you were "nod enough to publish some time ago. The statement of facts then presented, which at the time evidently carried conviction to the mind of your correspondent, he is now forgetful enough or ungenerous enough to call “plausibilities.” That things generally (the production of butter included) are in a bad way is admitted, and this brings ns to question No. 2, What object has the company in view by this new move ? Onr object, Sir, is to try to remedy tlie existing state of affairs. They certainly appear to need it. We propose to help the farmers by substituting system for chaos. We propose to ask the farmers to milk their cows with care and cleanliness, and to bring the milk to ns when he can obtain its cash value for it. And then we intend to try to produce butter of a uniform character, and of such excellence that it will bring profit and credit to our province. This is the object of the new move. “Milkman" makes a fuss about exporting, and implies that we have n.t done and are not doing this. We have contradicted this particular misstatement until we are pardonably tired of contradicting it. Everybody knows—“ Milkman ” knows—that we ha vo sent several hundreds of tons of butter out of the colony. This we have done at onr loss. Does he blame us for checking our.-elvc-s in a business that would end in disaster? and will he not be satisfied when we t-dl him as soon as we are able by any mean* to lay onr bands on parcels worth sending away we shall be glad to continue our work ?

b. “What will be the probable result of tills actionWo reply, credit and prniit to the country generally —to all concerned, including “Milkman” and the Freezing Company. There is nothing deplorable in that, surely'? Your correspondent uses words which, apart from their fitness for the position in which lie places them, do, from association, convey strong impressions to tile minds of readers. There are many < f them in his letter—“ monopoly ” is such a word. Perhaps once in a thousand times monopoly means something to he dreaded and fought against; the other !>!•!* times it is a silly kind of bogey, which is used to scare innocent folk. How stupid it is, as used in your correspondent's letter, your readers have doubtless judged. Ith as li-en ■said that we already have a monopoly—.,f misadventure and misfortune perhaps, hut that cannot he, as “Milkman ' claims a •share of these, and should we ha successful he will be equally certain to take up a part of our better fortune. Does your correspondent know of a single case of nionop lv of anything worth having in the country ? Can lie imagine Waikato people, for instance, letting it exist? The fact is that we are but servants of the public—hadlv paid and soundly abused servants too. At the same time, it is gratifying to know that the feeling of niir correspondent is n >t a universal one, and thatonr new enterprise is enlisting the support of very m my, who admit the necessity for moving out of the nit which hitherto has entailed lab mr and dissatisfaction.—Yours respectfully, Gi,axviu.h asi> .Managers butter dep.iitinent. |