CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING

Hawera Star, Volume L, 5 August 1930, Page 6

CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING

THE AI ELLS (OAIPANY

INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS'.

At the annual meeting of the. Alells Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., yesterday, a general discussion followed! the chairman’s .remarks on the work of the year and on the prospects for the future.

Some discussion took place on the time suppliers brought their milk to the I factory. The Chairman (Mr C. J. Hawken) said that it was up to suppliers to be early, because the manager and staff were there and late arrivals meant a serious direct loss l to the company. In addition, lie said, the hours for manufacturing were short and late-comers cut down the time available to the staff. Mr Quinn said that, a few suppliers came perhaps too early, and it would be better to make the average hour a little later. Air Bickford!: If a man cannot get his milk to the factory by _ half-past ! eight, lie should go out of business. The chairman: Tire late-c-omer is costing money because the. employees have to wait,. whereas the same wages paid, if men came in good time, would result in better cheese. Mr Ale Alii lan considered it would be a. retrograde step to .put back the work for the late supplier. “When Skley time.” he added, “was in vogue, they could get out early, and it was ridiril•lous to think an Act of Parliament was needed to get them out of bed. ‘T wonder wlmt the country is coining to!” he said. _ .. The chairman remaked that one of his fharemilkers. with, 96 cows (o milk and only three milkers, could get to the factory by 7 o’clock, and it was' ridiculous to suggest that a- man with. 30 flows could not do the same. A supplier, commenting on the f.oi.b. charges, said that he knew of .some big companies whose charges were: higher than Alells’. o Mr AlcKav remarked that he had seen a case of a small factory where the charge? "wore less and where they had to pay cartage. ‘ POLICY.

“Have we mack .anything iby standardising?” asked the -same supplier. Tire chairman said it was doubtful, and lie believed they might: come round to get out of standardising and go back to making the: very best article possible. In reply to a question, the manager (Mr S. J- Tidswell) said that it was difficult to make a comparison with ■other years, for, with milk of.the same test the result might be quite, different. ' The secretary (Air A. K. Tyson) said that it was difficult to say what they had gained bv the change. The chairman said he believed standardised cheese - was not so saleable.'

Some people had said that cheese' made

Ifrom March milk was not in demand, I but the agent had] stated it was “the (best of all the lot.” Air Hey affirmed that some agents said the standardised! cheese was quite good. But lie considered that some bad stuff spoilt a. lot of god, produce. Mr Bickford : The national brand is I a wash-out, because no factory making the best article got credit- for this excellence. Air Legge said he noticed that Meremere had resolved to make full cream :che ; es'e and Alells should do the same. He said lie- would like suppliers to give their opinion on the matter. Mr AlcKav said that only a few were doing, so, and he would libel to know' definitely if they were making anything out of standardising. The chairman said they must wait until Air Veale’s report' was published, and then have a '.special meeting to go into the question. At present there was nothing on which to base an opinion. He recalled that in the old days : there was a premium paid for Alells cheese.

Air Bickford': Alells had al very good name 20 years ago, but it has lost that to: some: extent.. He a,deled that England imported cheese from all ov-ear. the world?, and always went for the produce it considered best. 'Competition was so keen that, unless the- eheesoi was of good quality, consumers would not have. it. The chairman remarked that the re-

port-s had been good, but ho considered that pasteurising was likc.lv to go out, for it killed something that was needed' in the cheese. Eltham, ho Maid, had done without paste arising and was well satisfied with the results.

Mr Legge considered l there must he ■something wrong with standardised cheese, because the Canadian new season’s article was bringing a higher price than New Zealand’s end of season cheese.

Mr McKay: Since we started standardising. the quality has slipped back. The chairman: It .started to slip earlier with the moisture in the cheese and people have overdone standardising.

Air Bickford: At first it was quite good, but now factories have gone too far.

The chairman added! that modifleiatfon bad given the cheese, a very bad name.

Mr Bickford : Tiro consumer has got to. know that ours .is a part-skimmed cheese and they do not like it. If if. is not palatable the.v will not have it. SUPPLY Ob' HOT WATER. A supplier asked what the directors intended to do about the supply of hot water. He considered it would be, wise to cut it out altogether and let each supplier instal a boiler, the «mi])any financing those who needed: help towards the cost.

Mr McMillan approved' the eoutinruaiict' of the, supply, stating that, although the water was not- boiling when he got it home,, it saved him very much, because he could get i_t boiling in 10 to, 'ls minutes. Jr ho had to • boil ctolc! water it took much longer and used more fuel. “However,’’ he added, “I haver, heard of a. case whore a man used cold water and got as good' a grade as his fellow-suppliers.” He, himself, however believed ‘‘the c,leaner the machines .the better the milk.” The manager 1 said they had' a: three-quarter-inch steampipe and the cost was not a. penny und'ecr £6O.

“It is l cheaper,” said Mr Alillan, “to get, water from the factory and then boil 'it. J do not grudge ray share of the expense, at all.”

The, chairman: Very few factories now supply hot, water, and the, practice is going out every year. Cold water must b-« out through 'the machines • before milking and boiling wafer used a fl or wards.

In regdv to Air Mans'll’, the chairman said that they were not losing by the sending of cream to Hnwera. Remarkino- on the. new buildings, the chairman said it was good to write, elf liberal depreciation every year, and it was a wise- policy to have, areserve,. Bv fills means they had been able, to have £•2000 in hand towards the £3500 they had: spent.

In reply in a. tiuesfion, tlioi chairman said time yn far no offers Owd been received for the cheese unsold, of which there were, about 440 crates.