ECHOES FROM BACON CO. DINNER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 13 July 1917, Page 2

ECHOES FROM BACON CO. DINNER.

The suggestion was made at the recent Bacon Company's dinner in Hawera, that dairy factory companies should consider the question of installing their own. piggeries. It was pointed out that a firm in Auckland was doing remarkably well working on these lines, and if suitable piggeiies were established, fairly convenient to the factories, suppliers' pigs could be "pooled" and a great saving of time and trouble made in carting of skim milk and whey. Mr Powdrell remarked that the Eltham Bacon Company had tried the experiment and it proved a failure.. Apparently pigs could be successfully raised if large numbers were kent together. . Mr Greville contended" that the experience of the Auckland people proved the exact contrary. If they were properly paddocked, housed and fed, there was no question of success, and failure could only be due to bad management.

During the course of his remarks Mr Forsyth reminded his audience of the claim of the American meat packers that they utilised every part of the pig excepting his squeal. Well, the Farmers' Bacon Co. could do as well as that: they utilised everything excepting the cur] of his tail, and they would be after that, too, only for the fact that it straightened out when they killed the pig.

"The bull is more than half the herd, and the bull's dam is more than half the bull," said M r Banks, of Waikato, president of the Holstein-Friesian Association. If dairy farmers wanted good heifers they must look to the bull s dam. and it was disheartening to see dairy farmers go to the sale yards and pick up any old scrub of a bull for i>o and then expect good heifers. "Get the very best bull you can," said Mr Banks. "Go to one of the recop-nised breeders and try to buy the bull that he is keeping for himself; if you can't get tnat try and get the next best that he has. Ihe cheapest bull that ever I had was the one that I paid the most money tor."

A speaker from the Waikato was very enthusiastic about the value of lucerne for pig feeding. He mentioned the case or a man who had a forty acre farm, twenty acres of which he' now had in lucerne, and so satisfied was he with the prospects of pig raising on this that he. had disposed of one-half of his milking herd with the idea of grazing more Pigs. He estimated that with his 20 acres of lucerne and other odd feeding that he could raise 250 pigs a year on his 40 acres. Mr Murch instanced a case that_Jiad come under his observation. A pig fed on lucerne and a little milk made IGolbs. weight, whilst another fed on grass instead of lucerne made only 651bs. In acknowledging the vote of thanks passed to the directors of the Bacon (company at the conclusion of their meeting, Mr Powdrell said: "If farmers had as much foresight as they have after-sight they would be better off a d site."

As one of many arguments used in favor of amalgamation, Mr Powdrell mentioned that during the nast season 1700 cattle had been put through the Eltham works, and this was of great advantage to dairy farmers, because it enabled them to get good prices for their reject cows. The new company was also going in for all kinds of tinned meats, brawn, etc., and were also going in for the manufacture of small cheese, similar to the "Rex" cheese, so well known on the market to-day.

Talking of trusts and combines. Mr Banks mentioned an experience he had in Auckland last rear. 'H» had 16 veal calves, weighing about 2301b5. that were then hanging on the hooks at thn Auckland Farmers' Freicrhtimr *^o. He offered them to several Auckland butchers, and iri every case their quotation wns the same —-Hd. FTo decided not to £"11. but <=ent the jnor>+ ho^ne thronrrh tho British and Dominions Co., and his

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return netted Did ?or lb. r.t Home. After deducting snipping charges he netted _ 6fd in 2\e\v Zealand, as against 3^d offered by the Auckland buteners. Tiiis urice should have been ljd better had shipping conditions been normal. Mr I'orsyth argued that one of the great advantages of amalgamation was the elimination of the multiplicity of buyers in each district. Where there 1 were a number of competing buyers chasing around they frequently bought pigs that were quite unsuitable for baconers, and the result was that the man who supplied only first quality animals had to helo nay for the rough' stuff that had hitherto" been accepted. This would all be rectified under their i present organisation.

Mr Dimock gave a very interesting history of Dimock's. Ltd.", right from the commencement nn to the time of amalgamating; from 100 pigs a year up to 52,000. He had seen the business I grow from a baby to a boy, and now, under co-operation, he hoped to see it grow into a healthy young man. Their present chairman, Mr Aiken, got nothing a week as salary, and found himself, so that shareholders could* not very well complain if his being overpaid. When he (Mr Dimock) made his first trip through Norsewood, there was not one coach factory-made cart; all the milk carts had wheels sawn out of solid logs, with hoon-iron tyres.

Gumming (president) and Mr J. T. Black (secretary of the Hawera Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Society). Mr J. Jarvis said vhat he would like to make a few remarks regarding another disqualification that had confe before the North' Island Association. Mir Gumming remarked that no good could be derived by digging in the graveyard of the past. He considered it preferable to let the dead past bury ite dead. There were present young *"^ fanciers, and others, although not young in years, were new fanciers, and it wouid be totally unfair to place before them the one side of the question and so create bias, without giving the individual who was disqualified the opportunity ol placing before them also ins views, and the reason for the attitude he had taken up. After some discussion, Mr Jarvis said he would not press the matter. The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the chairman.