CHEESE MANUFACTURE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 21 August 1924, Page 5

CHEESE MANUFACTURE.

. ITS BUSINESS SIDE. PAPER BY MR. A. LEES. There was a fair attendance of members ut the meeting of the Hawera Accountant Students’ Society last night, Mr. H. B. Burdel tin presiding. The feature of the evening was the reading of a paper by Mr. A. Lees, secretary of the .Toll Co-operative Dairy Company, on “The Business Side of Cheese Manufacture.” The paper was the same as delivered by Mr. Lees at the annual meeting of the N.D.A., and ivas fully reported in the Star at that time. It was listened to with the keenest interest by all present, and at the conclusion a number of questions were asked and satisfactorily answered by Mr. Jjecs, the information given both in the paper and in .JJie subsequent replies being very valuable. In reply to a question dealing with' the weights of consignments and the drawing against documents, Mr. Lees said that the weights were checked by the grading store, and the companies drew for the amount as arranged. When the shipment was realised, the amount of the draft was deducted from the proceeds. Another question dealt with depreciation and repairs and renewals, and Mr. Lees said that very liberal amounts should he charged up under these headmgs. Mr. Burdekin said he considered from five to ten per cent, should be written off the diminishing value, not the amount allowed by the Department. Dealing with shares in the allied companies, Mr. Lees agreed that adequate provision should 1 be made by the companies for the wasting assets in such as the Box Company. Mr. Burdekin urged that the position should be met bv that company charging a little, more for boxes, thereby being enabled to make adequate reserves. The question of selling fully-paid shares was briefly discussed, and Mr. Lees announced that he was calling a meeting of secretaries to discuss the point and other matters of interest. Mr. Burdekin urged the keeping of a register for plant and renewals, so that when any plant was scrapped the company would know exactly what amount to write off, The niatter of the Rennet Company was mentioned, and Mr. Burdekin said he assumed that had this comoany not been in existence the factories would have bad to pay much mor© for their supplies. Continuing, Mr. Burdekin said that the profit and loss account should really be “working” account. He added a compliment to CVIr. Lees lor the very dear statement of accounts as shown in the Joll Company balance-sheet. On the matron of Mr C. H. Suisted, seconded by Mr. Burdekin. a very besirtv vote of thanks was passed to r ; , - e(^ s f °i- Ins very interesting and instructive paper, hi reply, Mr. Lees shiu he hoped at some future date, if as ved to he able to talk to members on other matters of interest to the industry