Farming Notes.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 278, 29 May 1895, Page 2

Farming Notes.

|By " Agricola." |

CREAMERIES AND TIIEIR BENEFITS. Whatever may be said for or against as to the benefits or otherwise of our creameries, butter or cheese factories, the farmers must acknowledge that such institutions hare enhanced the value of land and cattle, although at the present time there are low price* I ruling for butter. As stated in pre- j vious notes, the tendency with New j Zealand farmers has been to rush any enterprise and glut the market. It was so with the establishment of freezing companies — as Mr Nathan pointed out in his paper, one company competing with another and so bringing down the price of frozen meat to what it is at present. I presume it is the same with the butter factory companies. THE N.Z. DAIRY UNION. There appears to be a crisis in the New Zealand Farmers' Dairy Union iust now, Mr Roberts (the secretary) and Mr Birch (the manager) having resigned. I heard some time ago that there was a feeling of dissatisfaction engendered amongst the shareholders and milk-suppliers of this Union on account of the sweeping reductions in the prices paid for milk. It appears that the union had been paying ten per cent for money advanced, and the said firm was charging 2^- per cent, on all the produce passing "through their hands. Of course the directors could manage to finance as long as the prices for butter kept up, but as soon as there was a drop in the market, then the shoe pinched, and there would have been a sudden collapse had not the directors taken the milk-suppliers into their confidence, and by a compromise the factories have been kept going. • It would have been a pity to have shut up so many factories — extending as they do from Sandon away, I believe, to the Wairarapa. I was anxious to know of the secretary at a meeting held at Sandon the reason why so many of the directors hailed from the Taranaki district, and was informed that " they were selected because they know more about the working of dairy factories as they had had considerable experience." Perhaps it would have been better to have had men in their more immediate districts as directors who would have seen that 12J- per cent, was too much to pay for mo"ney advanced. In this instance I think the money lenders have had the " cream " of the income, and the milk suppliers will have to be satisfied with the " skim." I am pleased to note that the C'ampbelltown factory has done very well for the first month of its existence. May it go on and prosper. TUB PRODUCER AND CONSUMER. Attention has been called through the press to the fact that considerable reductions have been made in the staples of our living, viz., flour and meat, aud yet the retail prices are the same now as when these staples of food were selling at fifty and a hundred per cent more. As wages are also reduced the question is put: " Why do not the retailers reduce their prices?" It remains for the con sutners to take action, and if no reductions are made by the retailers then co-operation must be sought. The retailers must be taught the rule of " live and let live." The retailers say " VVe have so many bad debts, we cannot afford to sell cheaper." It is not fair for those who endeavor to pay their way to have to pay for others.