NEW DAIRY FACTORY

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 211, 5 September 1924, Page 8

NEW DAIRY FACTORY

TAIHAFE COMPANY'S ' PROGRESS. WORK OF DAIRY INSTRUCTORS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) • ' TAIHAPE, Thursday. ' The official opening of the Taihape Co-operative Dairy Company's new factory at Utiku was attended by about 400 people, including Mr. W. S. Glenn, M.P.-, who performed the opening ceremony, and reprcsentiitives of the Dairy Division. i M.r. W. S.-Glenn, M.P.. after congratulating the company on its success, gave some interesting.figures relating to the. last season's dairying operations, and stressed the need for improving the quality of the New Zealand output of butter, so tliat the good name which "the product had gained on the overseas market could be retained. He mentioned that in- the last season there had been a falling off in the quality owing to the hot. and dry -season which was expcri-1 .enced. Xhat the farmers realised the need of keeping the quality up to the highest standard was, evidenced by the number of inquiries received by the Department regarding the terms- of appointment of dairy farm instructors. Formerly the terms of appointment under the scheme were on the basis of the Department paying the whole of the travelling expenses, and for.the means of : locomotion, the dairy company or companies concerned refunding £250 per annum of the salary in monthly instalments. Later, • owing to financial stringency, appointments were made only' on condition that the companies utilising the services of the' _ officer refunded to the Department the whole of the. salary, and paid travelling expenses and the- cost of locomotion. The need of a uniform basis was fully recognised, and ' the Department now had • tlie matter under consideration. There wierc' at present twenty-seven instructors in the Dominion, and last year they made 22,<i3G visits of instruction, and inspection. '

Speeches -were made by several others present, - and a smoke concert .was held after the official opening ceremony had been - performed. The present company took over from Messrs. Nathan and Co.. Ltd., their factory at Ohutu over twenty years ago, and until the end of last season this factory .was conducted as a co-operative concern with great success. Owing to the gTcat increase .in dairying within the last few years, the old factory and plant were found to be too' small to cope with the increased supply to the best advantage, and the erection of a new factory at Utiku was considered to be essential. ! and waa approved by the shareholders. ', The building is of ferro-concretc, and the. factory is equipped with the most modern machinery, so that the company is now in a position to deal with a largely increased supply of cream. A feature of dairying in the Taihape district is that cream is now being lifted by the company's motor lorries in' parts of i the district -which were, at one time I considered to be. too far away to he i effectively served by the factory, and I with tbe improvement of the roads [ which followed the -development of motor i traffic the company extended its operaj tions into most parts of the district, and ! when land suitable for -dairying, but now ! being used for sheep farming, is used I for the purpose fo rwhich it is most I suited,, the output of the company will be largely increased. The prospects for i the dairying industry in the district are particularly bright, as there are large areas of land in the district which are suitable in every way for dairying now that roads arc good and transport difficulties have been overcome.