LOWGARTH DAIRY COMPANY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 10 August 1928, Page 10

LOWGARTH DAIRY COMPANY.

ANNU AL MEETING OF SUPPLIERS

The thirty-first annual meeting of the Low garth Co-oporiatiive Dairy Company, held in the Lowgarth Hall! yesterday, was attended by close- on thirty shareholders. The annual -report presented showed an increased output over that of the preceding year, on which suppliers lrad already received Is 7d per lb. of butterfat. and a promise of a further 2d per lb. when accounts were finalised.

In moving the adoption of the bal-anoe-silieet ajiid report the chairman (Mr A. IX Johnson) said l he had pleasure in an non i icing th at the company was •rotting into a very good position and blowing a substantial increase in output. It bad been the policy of the company for some- yearns to consign the output iand the opinion of the directors was that a continuance of this policy was -desirable. Suppliers had been paid Is 7d and on the balance-sheet figures there was at least another 2d to come when consignments were realised. The cheese was valued at 9Jd and creamery j butter at- Is 5d for balance-sheet purposes. The -increase of the company’s output as compared with the previous season amounted to 80 orates of cheese and 10,0001 bof butter. The carting of cheese to the Moturca Freezing Works hail been arranged for two years at a sawing of nearly four shilling per ton. Finns insignu-s cheese orates, procurable at 2s Id per orate at Kith am, were being used and considered quite satisfactory. ft was intended to shortly install a cheese waxing machine for treatment of the whole output, by which means it was expected that .a sawing of I per cent, shinin-kaigo (approximately between 4001 lbs and- oOOllbs) would bo effected. Insurance on buildings and plant had been increased during the past year to £9OOO. Full advantage had been taken of the continued oppnr-| tuuity of obtaining starter milk am! I the exianiinati-on of samples at the Hawera laboratory and it was .satisfactory to' record that ever since this service had been .available the company had made no second gna.de cheese. In accordance with a .recommendation advanced at the last annual meeting it was definitely agreed to support the Federation of Taranaki Dairy Cbui-oa-nies for a further term of three years. T!h-e average grade for the past season was 92%958 (cheese) and 90.248 (butter). which was quite satisfactory. The comp miv’s .congratulations were extended to the manager (Mr .J. L. Taylor) on winning the New Zealand cheese championship for the second year in succession and the hope was expressed that -his- sueueis.s in this direction, would continue. For the benefit and convenience of shareholders, a permit subject to one month’s notice on either side, had been granted for the establishment of a •smithy on the company’s premises. It had -been deemed advisable to in--1<• -ease the .reserve in connection with the Eg.niout Box Company shares to the extent of £79. the amount of rebate on last year’s freezing works storage charges. In regard to a proposal to join With other companies in a scheme for the sale of the output of wbev, after sopai-atiion, there had apparently been insufficient support accorded the movement, for nothing had of late been hoard of the project so for as this district was concerned. The question of taking up shares in a. venture for' development of the Tangier aka-u coal field had been deferred for future consideration. In conjunction with Mangatoki and other companies operating in the neighbourhood, the company had, with the (•• 11, sent of suppliers, joined up with .t pooling scheme in connection with the Pi,tea “bobby”, calf industry. During I the year the company was represented at the National Dairy Association conference held at Palmerston North, at which a proposal -for reconstruction of tire association was defeated for lack of -a three-fourths majority of delegates present. Delegates of the company also attended the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rennet Company. It was gratifying to note that the latter concern—ia farmers’, industry —was on the high road to .success and it behoved every Taranaki cheese company to keep it bo. Mir Fryd-ay asked if the chairman thought the- company would get a fair deal from the Power Board and was answered in the affirmative. A further query from the same questioner ill regard to the cost of fuel elicited the assurance that the fuel bill is .practically the same year after year. The chairman announced tlliiat the company's pa.v-out for the past year was Is ~s 17-2 Id —one twenty-fourth of a penny less than Is old. It was a matter" for congratulation, also, that the cost of manufacture of butter-fat showed a decrease of a farthing per lb., with a further gradual decrease in sight. In reply to Mr J. W. Bourke. the chairman' said tire company used no other but the locally manufactured rennet, which, in the opinion of the manager (Mr J. L. Taylor) wa.s eminently (satisfactory. In this connection Mr Taylor drew attention to a direction li'-.mi the management of lire rennet r -m.iaiiy that calves ishou'ld he properly mothered up to the ti.iue of <lospa.tcb to the freezing works. Tbits was an important matter, am afl'ectiLng the quality of veils for rennet manufacture, -and was no hardship on the farmer, the (lows’ milk for a't least four days after calving being practicailly useless for any oilier o impose hut the .sustenance of the calves.

Mr A. Piriicc was advised that only a. ve-'-y small proportion of “dry” shares —a matter which concerned the old factory—remained u n.pur chased bv the company, which would eventually acquire the remainder of the issue us opportunity offered. The -purchase of benzine on behalf of shareholders, said the- chairman, wa.s to be discontinued, chiefly loir the reason) that failing the granting of a storage nerrait, the (installation of bousers on the factory premises was a matter of too much expense. Tf one bowser would suffice its installation was worth consideration. but the trouble was that so many brands of benzine were favoured Kv the shareholders. In any case, the titul amount supplied was negligible. On the motion of the chairman and Mr N. lb Fry-day the report and bal-ance-sheet were adopted. ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

The retiring directors, Messrs E. A