PUKERIMU.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2985, 1 September 1891, Page 3

PUKERIMU.

WKI.COMK TO Mil HKNI:V UKY.VOMiS. TflK milk Hiip.ilicr.H t" thr I'likeiiin'i Imtt.i r factory, and the inhabit tnl-i i f Uu' di-tiirt (f«iu>r:illy, «av« .Mr Henry II- viwl.N a lirr nty welcome b iclc to \Vaik:it'. mi S.iturday eviMiin;,'. lie had arraiu'ed to n C"t the milk supplier., only, but w.iulil ni»t bo (Icnn'iJ, anil as tin- l i'lu - iiMisp'il upon having a hand in the 1 m-i it may be Rucssed they .-oun won tin: d.iv. Kveivtliirit; w:is (|iiickly and llw worthy settlers' buxom wives and fair daughters forthwith set to work to mike cakes and tarts ami out sandwich's—-i.ltici'Mit to have lasted .Mr Reynolds on the liome. aiul hack He would iinleerl In- a bold individual who would ipie-lion tho quality of the beforti-inentioned sandwiches when ho learns they were composed of bread made of Hour that in turn was " made of Wnikuto wheat only"; the meat was grown in the district, and tho butter with which the bread was aii"int"d was, of course, the celebrated Anchor brand, otherwise known as R"yiwlds' " lie-it <rilt edyed." The ladies liavintr won the day, Iho (,'entiemflii thoujrht it best to compromise, and consequently business and pleasure were combined at a 111001111? held in th" -cho"l----hoiisu on Saturday everiini; ; and if tho ladies can always mnnai;e matters as well as they did on that evening, the sooner they are enfranchised the better. The proceedings commenced at li.HO p.m. with nn excollent ten, after which business was proceeded with ; but it was not allowed to become monotonous, for it was occasionally shelved whilo a musical selection was given, after which it was again allowed to proceed. Mr Joseph Gone was voted to the chair, and he said they had met to welcome an old friend who had been to the Old Country endeavouring to do tjood work for their district, They knew their friend had lately been ffcted at Hamilton in almost a regal manner ; they could not attempt anything as grand as that, but he ventured to sav that nowhere had or would Mr Reynolds receive a more hearty welcome. He thought nearly everyone in the district was present that evening, and turning to Mr Reynolds he said : "We are here, Sir, with our wives and children to give you a hearty welcome back from England, and to thank you for your endeavours to further our interests when in that country." Mr (lane explained that Mr Reynolds had been Home to find out if it was not possible to pet New Zealand produce sent direct t i the consumer without it going through what he might call the circumlocution office," i.0., the middlemen, for they swallowed all the profit. If Mr Reynolds succeeded he would be a gieat benefactor to Waikalo, for it would increase the value of the land. He was pleased to notice thas Waikato was coming more into favour ; land was being enquired for, and people in other districts were awakening to the fact that it was possible to do as much in Waikato as anywhere else,if the land were properly farmed. Ho did not wish to make it appear that Mr Reynold's scheme was all philanthrophy ; ho(MrH. Reynolds) of course wanted to do the best ho could for Reynolds and Co., but if that firm prospered tho settlers of Waikato would also prosper.—Mr .Tohn Fisher said if dairying business was all as pleasant as tho way in which the business was being transacted that evening, lie was afraid they would all be going in for it. They were all glad to welcome Mr Reynolds now, but if after two years he again returned from England having established the business on a firm basis, thev would be even more rejoiced to welcome him again. Perhaps outsiders might ask : why all this fuss? It was because they knew Mr Reynolds was a man of indomitable pluck : one that would not be beaten Many of them could remember how Mr Reynolds, when ho was quite a lad, tackled a job in the Piako swamp that many men of mature years would have,turned their backs on, and carried it through. That wiir the sort of man to fight for them in the Old Country, and he trusted Mr Reynolds would prove the victor and then there would be a remunerative market for the produce of New Zea land, Mr Henry Reynolds then addressed the meeting, many of his remarks being of a similar nature to those expressed at Haniiltm, which we must perforce omit. He thanked those present for the hearty reception they had given him, arid said ho could not find suitable terms to express all he felt for their kindness. Re dairying, ho had been a fanner and therefore knew tho settler's side of the question : he also knew the merchants' side of it. He knew what butter could be exported for atul the price the consumer in England paid for it, and he had been to tho Old Country to find out who had the profit, and ho found it was the middleman. He then related the troubles he had encountered and how he had finally established a depot near London bridge and determined to get near the consumer without the aid of middlemen, ff the New Zealand butter was as good as that sent froin Denmark it would sell well. He thought ho had seen all the English butt3r factories, and there wis nat one that was equal to thoir one at Ngaruawhia ; they d'd not contain so much labour saving machinery; neither did ho think the men in tho .English factories worked nearly ns hard as their men in New Zealand. He had visited Denmark and was astonished at what he saw ; the price of both land and cows was high and however it paid was a wonder, for the animals were nil stall fed. One settler tint he visited milked 130 cows, and there was not a speck of dirt to be seen; indeed the cowshed was as clean as the room they were then in. The tails of the cows were clipped and their udders singed, so that not a particle of dirt should get into the milk. One firm in Copenhagen dealt with the milk from 2,000 cows ; it was cooled down in refrigerators and would keep sweet for 48 hours. During tho winter each settler was compelled to store so much ice for use in tho summer or the company wjuld not take his milk. He then appealed to t.lio settlers to be scrupulously clean in dealing with thoir milk, and said tho last two or three months thai ho was in England had done more for New Zealand butter than tho previous three years, ns tho quality had been uniformly good. lie wanted the " Anchor Brand " to top tho market, and he felt sure it would if the suppliers would lend their assistance. Hs reiterated his Hamilton remarks ro frozen mutton, and then spoke of refrigerators, of which, he said, ho had seen ail sorts. Tho dry air process was absolote, except for vessels, the ammonia machine being simple, and about one-fifth tho cost of the former process. Nearly every Loudon butcher had his refrigerator, and under Leadenhall market there was a large one for public use, where they would take anything for a very small charge, even a single chicken. Ho hoped to supply his house in London with New Zealand produce; thanks to refrigerating chambers. The cost of freezing in England was very dilforent to that in New Zealand, and the companies were very liberal. Ho had in his bag tho plans of a freezing plant that could be erected in Hamilton, and not cost nearly as much as in Auckland. If prices were not reduced by j the Auckland Company, a few of the settlers had only to put their hands in their pockets—nut very deep—and thoy could freeze their produce iu Hamilton and send it from there straight on board ship. The price Reynolds and Co. offered for next season's milk was per gallon of 10.} Ib, 10 per cent of cream, and id for each extra per cent. This prico was for nine months to those who supplied all the year, and for eight months for those that did not supply in winter. The prico for the three winter months would be -Id per gallon, but they did not wish to encourage the winter trade, as it did not pay, and they would sooner close the factories during that period. The winter was the time that dairy produce .vas dear in this country, and ho thought tho farmers could make as much by their butter in the local markets as by sending their milk to the factory. He then referred to the various business that Reynolds and Co. intended doing, and after again thanking the audience for the reception they had given him, resumed his seat. Mr Farley, the Auckland manager of Reynolds and Co., said the firm had, during the past year, paid £10,000 for milk, and that it had all como to Waikato. During the past wet season it had taken more milk to make a pound of butter than formerly; he trusted next season would prove better in that respect. Ho stated Reynolds and Co. were giving the highest price of any company in New Zealand, owing to the whole of the butter going to England, and that they had confidence in tho business wna demonstrated by tho fact that they were about to open a factory in faraiiaki. He further stated that consignmenttt of any farming produce could be sent to Reynolds and Co., who would give a cash allowance. Several others addressed tho meeting, but space will not permit of a report being given.