TWENTY-ONE YEARS CHAIRMAN

Hawera Star, Volume L, 24 July 1930, Page 6

TWENTY-ONE YEARS CHAIRMAN

KAKARAMEA FACTORY.

MR ALFRED PEARCE HONOURED

The KaJmirameii Hall was filled: with a. company representative of every part of South Ta.Vanaki and; of many interests when, the directors of the ivu’karamea 00-perafcive Dairy Company, Ltd., gave a complimentary isnio'ke concert to Mr Alfred Pearc-e, to mark tlie completion. of his 21 years’ service- as chairman. The utmost enthusiasm and good feeling prevailed and the proceed'in@s< were eminently worthy of tire occasion.

Following the loyal toast, the chairman (Air. S. F. Taranrb), gave a heaty welcome to the vis.it/iii and suppliers, and expressed; the hope that all would have a ; thoroughly enjoyable time-. He apologised! for the unavoidable absence of Messrs A. He yes (H. A. Lane and Co. Ltd.), H. G. Dickie ALP.. H. G. Cmsbie, A. Aluggeridge, A. C. Pease, A. H. Hodge. AY . Grant. S. C. Tonks, C. J. Ha when, H. G-iiligan, H. T. Loved. J. R. Corrigan, and T. A. Winks. He said he was .'leased to see- present fellow-chairmen — Messrs E. T. Burke. E. Parsons, P. Hurley arid, last, but- not Least, the Kakaranwa chairman, Alcsrsrs G. Trotter and C. R, Hon-evfield' (Farmers’ Coop-.). C. ]>. Dickie and A. T. Christen'Sen (Patea. Freezing Co.), three chairmen of the Patea olinty (Messrs G- V. Pearce das. Gibbs and AV. T. Belton), the Mayor of Patea (Air Ramsbottom), ■I epreseiitativ.es of overseas- merchant houses (Messrs AV. B. White, A. J. Mills, G. H. Buekeridge, S. A. Chisholm and C. Turner). He said lie considered there' should! he more functions of this kind, for men would meet on a common basis and g,ot» to understand one another’s point of view, which would lead to more true co.o deration. Air. P. AY’. Tong proposed Tlie, Neighbouring Factories” He said he was pleased to see directors of other companies present to do honour to Air. Pearce. Air. E. T. Burke (Kaupokonui) thanked the directors lor their invitation to him and said he would not on any account have been absent from such a function. Air. Pearce had, he said, not only the confidence of the people, of the district, but also of the directors and suppliers, all his life. All should be proud of a man who- had given such service and seen such strides in the dairying industry. He had taken a worthy part in this work and in bringing the industry to such a pitch of efficiency, through hard and difficult times during the past 21 years. He had thoroughly deserved the honour done to- him.

Air. Burlce referred also to Air. Pearce’s part in many movements for the benefit of the district and to his prowess as a footballer ancl as a horseman, and wished again to- offer his congratulations on his great record of service.

Mr. E. Parsons (AVlienuakura) said this was a real birthday and he considered it a privilege to be. present at such a function. All*. Pearce had given really good service to the district and community. He referred eulogist ical-ly-to the fine- assistance given to AVhenua--kura by Kakaramea during their disastrous fire, which showed real and true co-operation and good feeling between factories.

Mr. P. Hurley (Hurleyville) endorsed the happy remarks of the previous speakers', and said the gathering proved the confidence the people had in Air. Pearce and his popularity, which made them re-elect him year after year. He offered hearty congratulations and wished him continued success and good health in tlie future. Mr. R. J. A-Vat-t proposed ‘‘The Farmers’ Co-0p.,” saying that this concern had been a wonderful asset to the district and had served tlie farmers honestly and well and had been thoroughly successful in bringing its affairs to the present prosperous position.

All* O. Cl. Trotter said the Farmers’ Co-op. had) been founded in days that were, difficult and had to surmount many obstacles, but. was now in a solid position. He referred to the work of the early directors who came forward and! put their names to a bond! for a very large amount, and said that this was clone for the- good, of tlie district entirely. It- was not right- that men should have to do this. The slump came along and the company had a hard time, but came- through, because* of the loyalty of the -shareholders’, and by that means they had been enabled toimprove their position to the tune of £95,000 and were now dividend-paying. The future, he said, was in the-hands of the shareholders and, if they were loyal, they coni* look for even greater success in the future.

Mi* O. It. Honeyfield' congratulated ,Mr Pearce •on what must bo a real record for the, Dominion and said it spoke much for the Ivakara.mea - suppliers that they had re-elected him year after year. The Farmers’ Co-op., he said, was a sister organisation and both were cooperative in their service and they could sell the farmers all classes of goods and were now able to deal with their dairy produce. He referred to the early days, when the Farmers’ Caou. Had a hard struggle, and to the good work of Mr Buekeridge in its early organisation.

Mr G. H. Buekeridge briefly referred to his part ill the organising- of the Farmers’ Co-op. and said he was proud to see the wonderful .strides the company iiad made and that when it came to> maturity in five years, it would be an extremely vigorous concern. He isaid he fully appreciated the honour done to him in associating his name with the toast. The chairman gave the toast of “Mv young friend on the right, Mr Alfred Pearce.” Ho said the directors considered it best to toll him now what they thought of him rather than put nice things on his tombstone. He recalled that prior to 1909 there was another factory nearer Patea for butter manufacture, with creameries at Manu-I talii, Alton, Pet eh Road and Gentle Annie. Mr Jas. Gibbs was appointed chairman ancl later Mr Tlios. Foreman. In that year cheese was better than butter and they went into voluntary liquidation and the old factory and machinery were bought by a new com- 1 pnny that was formed. The directors 'voro Messrs A. Pearce, (chairman), L. 1 Macdonald, Reeve. Kennedy, F'dge-j combe. Church, and .Speight. They 1 jogged along quietly, and during their period of service had seen lour .secre- J taries. In .1917 the factory was destroyed by fire and the task of re-j 5 building had to be faced, with material, labour and finance hard to get. Mr Pearce was confident that finance could be arranged and his optimism liad been fully justified. The directors, with Mr Pearce at their head', had signed' a joint.' and' several, but the brunt fell on the chairman, who shouldered the financial burden. For this they owed him a! real debt of gratitude, and it was worth recording that the ovedrafb. nfcj that- time £12.000, had been reduced by more than half in 13 years. There had: been 156 ordinary meetings in that, time and Air Pearce had missed only two, while he had attended every

special meeting. For several years, when interest was high and produce cheap, lie had accepted no honorarium, because he considered the suppliers needed all that could be paid and, therefore, they; were deeply in his debt. The qualities fitting him to be chairman were an intimate knowledge of the industry, a remarkable memory, much courtesy and tact, large-mindedness and an “unrufflable” temperament. He gave instances 'of the times when he showed these qualities. In conclusion he asked! Mr Pearce to accept an illuminated address oil behalf of the. shareholders, adding that he would, look upon it, not as a. token of farewell,’ but a- mark of appreciation. He. hoped that he would! long be spared to carry on the work he had done for so long. Mr Pearce had always done his work to the best of his ability and he hoped, would carry on for many years.

, Tiie address was very artistically worked by Mr J. MeAilliser, of Stratford, and 'besides its pretty scroll work had vignettes of the original and the present factories and Mt. Fgniont, three striking features of the district. The company then rose and sang with enthusiasm ‘.‘For He’s a. Jolly Good Fellow” and gavei hearty cheers. Mr J. T. Dwyer said that lie came to Ivakaramea. Id years ago and at once received kindness from Mr Pearce. .He referred to their association later as fellow directors and said that their differences had always been left inside the office doors. Me hoped Mr Pearce would enjoy health and happiness in the future. , " .

Mr II. 1 J. Watt said it had not been his good fortune to lie" associated so long with Mr Pearce as some of the other speakers. But lie could appreciate Mr Pearce’s firmness, tact and courtesy, and said that it was largely dim to his ability that the, company had been so successful. His influence on the finance of the company had been great and but for this many, no doubt, would hav© found it difficult to avoid walking off their farms had the bank called up more during the slump years. Mr Hall said! that Mr Pearce’s tact and personality had been great factors in the success of the company and he added sincere congratulations! Mr P. W. Tong, Mr A. T. Christensen, Mr C. Dickie, Mr K. Carmichael, Mr H.' Mossop, and Mr jas. Gibbs expressed high appreciation of all Mr j Pearce had done for the district and for the company." v

Mr .Pearce was enthusiastically apjplauded as lie rose to reply. He said he found it very hard to express what he felt, and was naturally proud of the position he occupied in being re-elected imopposd each year. He recalled his early experiences in dairying when butter was made, hut lie saw' that in 1917 cheese was the better proposition. They then built a main factory,' believing that the “one-roof factory” was the best paying proposition. But, he added, lie did not approve of the antiquated method of disposal, and considered that (lie farmers should have their own eool stores in London and have a direct control on the amount of produce going on to the market. Tn conclusion, lie heartily, thanked all for the great kindness and consideration shown to him and for the many kind things said and good wishes expressed. Mr W. F. Sheild proposed “Local Bodies.” stressing the good work done by their members.

Mr G. V. Pearce said lie had had~7r long experience in local body work, 23 ;\ eai s on the County Council and manv years on the Harbour Board, and he had always given of his best, believing that what was worth doing was worth doing well.

Mr Jas. Gibbs complimented fb« Kakaramea suppliers on keening MiTea ree in the chair. Uefei-rimr to the I area county, he said he had' alwavs striven to do his best during his 14 years as chairman and considered it

a great compliment that llie men, who served with him had been returned at tlie head of the poll when he retired. • Mr W. G. Belton said he appreciated the honour of being asked fo reply and added, first, that the work of the chairman had increased tremendously during the past few years. He referred interestingly to the change in administration now that., the Highways Board had taken over the roads and said that he heartily approved the suggested policy of giving more money

and more work to the inland roads. He referred to the increase in motor

taxation. and.,,to the handicap suffered by Patoa in having to pay so much for freight on metal ’for their roads. He added that, in his opinion, the subsidies were not up to their needs. The interests of. local bodies and dairy eompanis were, lie said, very similar and the making of roads such as the Ball Bead deviation had been of the greatest value to the district and the settlers and had aided rapid development.

Mr A, T. Christensen spoke for the Harbour Board, saving that the port of Pa-tea was essential to South Taranaki, seeing that 24,000 tons of dairy produce went through the port, and that if Patoa were not there the cost would be very much increased. He added that he would like to see. boats abl to deal with 1 twice that amount- of produce. Mr F. Pamsbottom (Mayor of Pa teal referred to the time, the energy and the money put into the work of local bodies by members and said that this was not appreciated as should be the case.

“The Patea Freezing Company” was proposed by Mr J. T. Dwyer, who said it behoved everyone to support the Patea' works as a protection to this district. Mr C. D. Dickie said the Patea Company was shortly celebrating its 21st birthday and had had. many ups and downs. He referred interestingly to the origin and development of the “bobby” veal business and recalled that the Patea works had Tint through in its first year 6000 head of stock and last year no less than 236,000 head. They had built up a goodwill and a reputation, and this was possible by the loyalty of the farmers. They set out to build up a business oil service. The Patea works were a real value to | the district because they maintained competition for the farmers’ stock and they hoped still to justify their position in the future. Mr A. N. Williams stressed that the Patea Company was out to give, service, without- which they could not- expect the loyalty of the people. He said that the work of the company was very valuable to the Dominion and to this province and would always aim at giving satisfaction to all of its suppliers. Other toasts honoured were: “Bankers and' Lawyers,” Mr A. Pearce and response by Messrs H." A. Findlay. F. W. Hamel and R. C. 'Rutherford; “The London Merchants.” Mr Carmichael and response by 'Messrs G. 11. Mills (Mills and Cod and C. Turner (Lonsdale and Cod ; “The Press,” “The Performers,” “The Ladies,” “Manager, Secretary and Staff” and “The Chairman.”

Items were given by Messrs W. G. Simnson, Hnrdenherg, W. W. Thomas, F. Naismith and A. T. Christensen, and the nocomoanintents were efficiently clayed bv Mr J. D. Gilmore. The sinning of “Auld Lang Syne” and the National Anthem concluded the evening.