CO-OP. BUTTER FACTORIES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 August 1920, Page 3

CO-OP. BUTTER FACTORIES.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Since writing you last on the above subject events have moved in the direction of my prediction, viz., That within three years Co-operate Butter Factories will be the order of the day on the West Coast. The Westport Farmers have bought out the Buller Valley Butter Factory and intend running it on Co-operative lines, thereby, forging another link in the chain of cooperation of the West Coast farmers. We now have a Co-op. Butter Factory a Co-op. Stock Agency, a Co-op. Butchery and Bacon Curing establishment at Karamea, a Co-op. Butter Factory at Westport a Co-op Butter factory and Co-op. Stock Sales yards at Murchison. A Co-op. Butter Factory at Greymouth, a Co-op. Lime Works and a Co-op. Stock Salesyards at Ross. Realize the position, farmers. We now have cooperation in the extreme north and extreme south of the West Coast. The next move is to sweep away the blanks. To do that let us concentrate our butter fat supplies on the two main Co-» op Butter Factories, viz Greymouth and Westport (providing the geography ' of Westland will permit it.) All supplies from Reefton down through the. Inangahua Valley and Buller Gorge ■ could go to Westport. From Reefton down through the Grey Valley and southern side of Greymouth could go

to Greymouth. The less factories there are the greater the profits will be and the greater the factory profits the higher the price that will be paid for butter fat. Any proprietary concern handling the farmer's production is a mill stone around the farmer's necks. Every penny.they make out of the farmer's production, is a penny less that the farmer should get. Authorities tell us that there is wool to the value of 6/3 only, in a suit of -clothes and yet we are paying £lO and upwards for a suit. Co-operation is the remedy. The North Island Farmers' Union is proposing to deal with the matter by erecting a Farmers' Co-op-erate Woollen Mills, wherein they will manufacture into clothing the wool they produce and then distribute the clothing to the people through the Fanners' Co-op. Distributing Stores. Then and then only, will the producer receive the full benefit of his production, and only by cutting out the middle man will tlie consumer receive cheap goods. On a recent occasion the writer in conversation with the manager of a proprietai'y West Coast Butter Factory learnt that about four years ago the said manager in a series of articles in a local paper advised our Coast cockies to concentrate their supplies on two Coast factories, viz., Greymouth and Westport, and thereby reduce working expenses. The writer replied : "That's strange. I haviS been advocating the same thing, but I advocate Co-op factories. Of course, you advocate proprietary concerns." Manager. ''Certainly." Writer, "But you must admit that co-operation is the best thing for the farmer." Manager, Oh! certainly. A man's a b fooJ that can't see through that." Evident ly that manager has realized that they are getting less, for his factory has since been sold to co-operators and the writer wishes them the best of luck, for they are undoubtedly on the right track. There are two butter factories on tlie Coast whose combined output for the past season was estimated to be 75 tons. Tlie two combined were expected to manufacture a little more than half the amount of the next lowest on the list What a waste of hard earned money, keeping such tin-pot factories going. Cockies wipe them out. One manage merit (instead of three) could handle the lot. One management would b? proportionately less expensive, consequently more profitable and as it is money and not sentiment tint -makes the mare go, get in and get it. —Yours etc. CO-OPERATIVELY ADVANCE. Reefton.