STARTING A CHEESE FACTORY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 447, 4 March 1909, Page 2

STARTING A CHEESE FACTORY.

A NCATURI MEETING. BRIDGE WANTED ACROSS MAKURI. Dairy farmers at Ngaturi arc trying to start a cheeso factory. Fifteen of them met in the schoolroom on Saturday and debated at some length the merits of tho proposal. Mr. H. S. Morrison presided. Captain J. ]i. Whyte, iu opening the discussion, said lie remembered when peoplo were quito satisfied if they got sixpenco per pound for their butter fat; now they were getting as much as.thirtecnpence. The industry was a very profitable one, and enhanced the valuo of the country land. Many of them in that district had land that was well adapted for dairying, and ho thought it would be a good thing for thorn if they established a cheese factory there. Ho favoured a choose factory because it could bo started with less capital and with fewer cows than a butter factory,_ while elieeso was, at tho present time, yielding a better return than butter. Many of them were at present running separators of their own, and they all knew the amount of extra labour which those gave them. The owners bf the checso factory which had recently been established at Ballanco were paying 12Jd. per lb. for butter fat, and ho saw no reason why Ngaturi should not do the same. Ho understood that meetings were going to bo held in other placcs for the same purpose for which they had met, and that at Konini many of tho suppliers to tho butter factory there were thinking of starting a elieeso factory. The chairman asked where would thoy bo • if there were to be a drop in the prico of cheese. Captain Why I® thought that in that cas# butter would also go down, but, ho added, the Brit-sh army was, at the present time, going in for more clicese and less beef. Mr. A. Brown did not think that a sufficient number of cows would be guaranteed. Captain Whyte admitted that they bad not got among them sufficient cows to start a butter factory, but, ho asked, who would start a butter factory at tho present time? He was sure that Mr. Bolton would not, nor would the Crown Company. Ho felt certain that a cheese factory would pay. There wero three farmers in tho room who could guarantee 150 cows among them, and ' 100 more could bo got on tho other side of tho Malturi stream. Tho plant of tho Mangaramarama factory had cost £800, and no financier would put one in for them if tho factory was not likely to bo kept going. Mr. J. Dick was afraid that they would havo to pay too dearly for money if they started a factory at the present time. Captain Whyte explained that the reason why tho meeting had been called so early was to enable tho farmers to get their springing heifers now when they are cheap, and also to give them plenty of time for tho erection of the factory buildings. Tho chairman agreed that if' anything was going to be done it had better bo done now. As a result of a canvas made in the room by Mr. Broughton, it was ascertained that 2oG cows could bo guaranteed, but it was pointed out that this number included 90 owned by settlers on tho other side of the Makuri lliver, who would not bo able to doliver milk at the factory until a bridge was built. Captain Whyte said ho believed tho factory could be made to pay with only 150 cows. Ho had discussed tho matter of financing tho concern with Mr. M'Ewan's partner, who said ho would only bo too glad to como and explain matters to them. If they started a factory ho hoped it would bo in a central' position. He understood that Mr. John Dick promised a,silo a few years ago, and that the promise was still good. Ho suggested that a committee bo appointed to go into tho matter. • Mr. A. Ross said that there was no reason to believe that a bridge would bo erected across tho Makuri, although Mr. Hogg, tho Minister in charge of bridges, when contesting tho seat, led thorn to believe at Kaitawa that lie would uso his influence to got ono built. In any case it could not bo built within eighteen months. Captain Whyte, Messrs. R. G. Broughton, A. Brown, and Morrison were then appointed a committeo to go into tho whole matter and report at a future meeting. It was suggested that as Mr. Hogg would probably bo in tho district in a few days tho committeo should wait upon him and" bring under his notice the urgent necessity of a bridge being constructed across tho Makuri without dolay.