ELTHAM DAIRY COMPANY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 273, 11 August 1908, Page 3

ELTHAM DAIRY COMPANY.

| ANNUAL MEETINC. AN INTERESTING REPORT. 'In the annual address to shareholders of the Eltliam Co-operative Dairy Company on Saturday, the Chairman of directors, Mr. T. O. Hodgson, said that during the past year tho company's output of butter had suffered an unprecedented reduction of a total of 98 tons. The cost of manufacture had, mainly .on this account, increased, from I.lßd. to I.2Sd. There was an increase in wages and first cost of all requisites such as salt, paper, preservatives, oil, and fuel. Consignment. Owing to the losses made during the past two years by .consigning their butter for sale at Home,' and also tho fact that -the company in the • past had done better by sales than by consignments, the directorate decided to sell upon receiving a higher prico than that obtained ill the past by either sales or consignments, bearing in mind also that they would havo to pay . a higher rate of commission and. higher freights. But a bad winter in Canada, followed 1 by a wet smnmor'in England, and a drought in Australia, and New Zealand, caused Dutter to bring phenomenal prices. .- Tho local market here, had helped somewhat to retrieve the posi-1 tion; ... I Labour Matters. "Early in the year (said the Chairman) our employees, organised by a city agitator and a member of the Conciliation Board, formed a Labour Union, and wo wero face to face with a labour difficulty. To counteract this movement an Employers' Union , was formed by the factories in Taranaki, and after several conferences an agreement was arrived at and registered. This meant an increase in wages, and pressed heaviest an the smaller farmers ana creamories. This agroemont was for 12 months, and has now expired, aud further exorbitant demands are now' being • made by the Employees' Union which, if acceded to, will certainly cripple this industry and mean that many of the small factories will have to shut up', and. farmers will havo to resort to home separation,. and this .will mean an. inferior butter. Wo are in tho unfortunate position of having to compete in the markets of the'world against all countries, without protection, and handicapped by long distances and a high colonial customs tariff. It is sincerely to bo hoped that more of our broad-minded workers will join. the Employees' Union and make their influence felt so that bettor counsels may prevail, as the- effcct of tho Arbitration awards in the past has been of a levelling down tendency and a clog on efficient and ambitious workers. V/ater Power. ■ "As year after year goes by tho price of fuel steadily increases and the repairs bill at the presont factory grows greater. Your directors wont into , tho question of cheaper motive ; power ai}d finally decided to rebuild in concrete on the site purchased some years ago and utilise wator power,' thereby estimating to make a saving of soirio £400 to £500 a year. It was hoped'to have'the factory erected for tho coming season, but it was found that tho power available was originally over-estimated and that to procure the necessary power we would havo to havo our intako at a point much higher up tho river. This necessitated , purchasing about eight, acres more laud, part of which will be resold when a suitable. opportunity occura., Tho amount of power we can now, obtain is equal to an efficiency of 70 b.li.p., at lowest summer level.""Tlie new factory"will be orected-.in concrete and the whole mbtivo power be water. •' ! • • Dairy Inspection. ".Tho Agricultural Department has now. undertaken the inspection' of yards andsheds, which, I havo no doubt, will tend to improve the quality of the milk and tho Minister for Agriculture has promised.to create a Board of Appoal against any arbitrary action of any inspector. Dairymen would do well to keep r this in view. ' ■ Abortion in Herds. "I am sorry to see from reports there appears,to be an increase in the dairy-herds of abortion and also its companion .trouble sterility. Tho want of care of farmers in this matter is to bo deplored, and whilst not recommending the universal ,us'e of chlorides, of mercury, ono certainly must counsel isolation, whilst at tho samo timo recognising the difficulty in a country of wire fences. Still, to see freshly aborted cattle among the common herds is surely courting tho evil. Dear Land and Poor Milk Yields. " Population does not add to the better farming of tho district, and I would point out . that lands at tho present prices cannot return interest with cows' whose returns only averago about 1801b. of fat, as this is about what the cows in this factory do, and also that in tho' rushes for high-priced cattle (Jerseys principally) these cattle are essentially stocK that pay for specially good treatment and that much of tne pasture land expected to run these cattlo has now been sown over 20 years, and was only sown with light sowings of grass seed in the first place.'-' In a discussion Mr. Walsh elicited the information that Aramoho and Eketahuna had also built in concrete. Messrs. T. O. Hodgson, A. Scrivener, R. J. Knuchey, and T. R. Corbett, wore elected directors.