PAERATA FACTORY

Franklin Times, Volume 14, Issue 824, 7 March 1924, Page 5

PAERATA FACTORY

OPENING CEREMONY.

MOST MODERN ESTABLISHMENT

Yesterday was a record day at Paerata. The most modern butter factory in New Zealand was officially opened in the presence of a record number of visitors, and in the evening what was freely admitted to be a record concert and dance was held in the Paerata Hall.

Shortly after midday vehicles of all descriptions commenced to arrive at the factory, and before long the spacious yard and adjoining roads were lined with cars and traps, and there were hundreds of visitors. The factory was thrown open for inspection, work being carried on as usual. The outside building is certainly not attractive, but the N.Z. Cooperative Dairy Co., Ltd. directors have decided to economise in buildings, but to purchase an up-to-date plant. Everything about the Paerata factory is of the latest design. Six churns and five glass-lined cream vats have been installed. Each vat has a capacity of 2000 gallons, and they are emptied by means of compressed air. The furnace burns the cheapest grade of coal obtained from the company’s own coalmine. This coal is practically unsaleable, and can be used only through this up-to-date method of firing. The whole of the cream is removed from one part of the building to another by means of five unique pumps. Water used at the factory is pumped from the Paerata Falls by six hydraulic rams and elevated to a 5000-gallon cistern, on a hill at the rear, whence it is gravitated to the factory. The drainage arrangements are excellent. Adjacent to the works are the manager’s house, an 11-roomed hostel for single employees, and one six-roomed, three five-romed, and two four-roomed cottages for married employees. The company has made every arrangement for the convenience of their employees, of whom at present there are about 30, under the popular manager, Mr J. Ward. The drainage from the residences has been provided for in the general scheme, and no doubt in a short time there will be a flourishing township at Paerata. The Suppliers Committee, with Mr D. Jamieson as chairman, were in charge of yesterday’s arrangements, and are to be congratulated on the success of the proceedings. Shortly before 2 o’clock a start was made with the celebrations. Mr Jamieson extended a cordial welcome to the many visiters, and seated around the receiving stage at the front of the factory were Messrs W. C. Motion (chairman 1 of directors), .W. Goodfellow (manging-director), A. J. Sinclair (acting mafr&ger), R. Clark, Spragg, G. P. Ewing (Whangarata), Dynes Fulton (Tuakau), J. A. Young, M.P. (Hamilton)(/■-A. Joljy (General Manager of National Bank of New Zealand), and others. „ ’• ' The chairman read apologies for absence from the Prirpe Minister (Mr W. F. Massey), the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. R. F. Bollard), and the Mayor of Pukekohe (Mr J. Routly).

Position Reviewed.

Mr Motion was the first speaker. He expressed pleasure, on behalf of the directors, at seeing so many present. He reviewed the progress of the district during the last 25 to 30 years, and the work of the pioneers in the good old days. The old creameries, when they were started, were considered a great achievement. He referred to the work of Lovell and Christmas. The old Pukekohe factory, he said, was' very small and neighbouring farmers were the only ones who obtained any advantage from it, on account of the bad roads. As the district went ahead the value of the dairying industry was realised more and more. Realising that a co-opera-tive company was better for the producers than were proprietary companies, the New Zealand Dairy Association took over all the factories. The success achieved by the association was due to the farmers’ loyalty and organisation. At one time one waggon and a couple of horses w T ere sufficient to bring supplies from the Waiuku ancl surrounding districts to the Pukekohe factory, but they now' had a large factory at Waiuku as well as the Pacrata factory. When the directors bought- the site at Paerata they did not think they would be opening a new factory so soon, but the destruction of the Pukekohe fire hastened matters. It was unfortunate from a financial point of view, but perhaps good for suppliers. It was an ideal site at Paerata. Home Separation.

The value of home separation, introduced by Mr W. Goodfellow, man-aging-director of the company, could not be over-estimated, said Mr Motion. When first introduced home separation was viewed with prejudice, but he was sure that with care and cleanliness the cream produced at home was as good, if not better, than the factory product. Were it not for home separation, they w’ould not be enjoying half the facilities they had to-day. In co-operative companies every supplier received a share of the profits. The business belonged to the suppliers. The pioneers of the industry deserved to .be honoured. Mr Motion referred to the work of Mr Henry Reynolds, who started the first factory and others. “The cow is the best factory,” declared the speaker. “It is not the number, but the bulter-fat they give that is important. Three years the average was 1621bs per c\v. With systematic testing it should be 300 lbs butter-fat per cow. After the cow has done her duty in the summer there is a tendency to forget her in the winter. Lower tests, less butterfat, and smaller returns are the results.” Factory End. Mr W. Goodfellow congratulated the farmers on the possession of the most modern butter factory in the Dominion. The factory end of the business could not stand still. It must progress and they had the latest. It had several special features. The first was the economical building. It was of corrugated iron. They expected in 20 to 25 years that Auckland

would absorb all the milk produced in that district, so it was not advisable to have an expensive building. They wanted the money spent in plant. The glasslined vats near the churns were an improvement. The company owned 13 butter factories; but Paerata was the most up-to-date.. The company’s policy was to pay for quality according to grading. The company insisted on the standardisation of . quality. A person buying 10,000 boxes could depend that every box would be of the same quality. The instruction of the dairy farmer was very advisable. New Zealand’s dairying industry was threatened by Australia, the Argentine, and to a lesser extent by Siberia. To keep ahead of these rivals and procure the maximum prices quality must be maintained. The future of the dairying industry depended on the future of Europe and the prosperity of Great Britain. Mr Goodfeliow pointed out the advantages of dealing with co-operative companies in preference to proprietary concerns. He expressed himself in favour of buying from Britain. If we bought British goods we indirectly increased British wages,, and that meant a better price for our butter at Home. However, he was not prepared to sell on the British market only. His policy was to buy on the British market and sell to the highest' buyer in all the countries of Europe. The United States wanted our best t butter, and would pay more for it than the United Kingdom. He estimated that half a million pounds worth of butter would be sent to the United-' States of America and Canada this season. Monthly shipments were being made by the company to ports “ , throughout the Orient.

He attributed the origin of the coqa-. plaints coming from abroad, regarding preservatised butter, to the Danes, who were trying to capture the Home market. The population of the world was increasing more than was pro- «’ duction, and the future was full of promise. Siberia was not yet a serious rival, being too disorganised. Pro-4'. vided the quality was right they could rely on receiving good prices. Signs of Prosperity. Mr Alfred Jolly, General Manager of the National Bank of New Zealand, gave a short interesting speech, referring to the signs of prosperity throughout the district. It was a red letter day in the history of Paerata. Mr Jolly reminded those present of the start of the factory movement by Chew Chong in Taranaki. The export trade in dairy produce to-day was worth £18,000.000. It_was on a solid basis.

! Mr J. A. Young, M.P. for Hamil--lion, before declaring the factory open, said that Paerata was native bushland in his schooldays. He had travelled from North Auckland to the’’ Bluff, and'nowhere was the country so. free of noxious weeds and so cultivated as was Paerata. “You can only, prosper by industry, pays for fev'erything,” he added. "If people in this country go slow we shall have trouble the cost of living WilT be forced up. We require better and more roads; q&nd industry must. ...pay ffflj them. Your jand must produce the best quantity'and qualfty of produce. See that your cows are worth feeding. Cow testing is of great assistance. Gleaav handling of milk is essential. If one can of contaminated milk is sent to the factory it will spoil \ ail the other milk in the vat. New > Zealapd butter is standardised on the London market, and the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company has done moref to warps thfju standardisation ) than all the other companies in the k Dominion.”

Afternoon tea was served by a band of willing workers, and an inspection ’ made of the factory by many of the visitors. CONCERT. In the evening Paerata Hall was packed, when a concert and dance was held. Mr Jamieson was chairman, and an enjoyable programme was ren- ' dered by Messrs A. J. Sinclair, F. McCarthy, A. Hintz, D. Middleton, Mesdames Walpole, Middleton, G. Nicholson and Wareing. Every item was enthusiastically received and hearty thanks accorded the performers.

At the conclusion a dance was held, the music being supplied by Mr and Mrs Harriman.