The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1928.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 August 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1928.

| - A CO-OPERATIVE SPIRIT. I Some of the Otago farmers have been i deliberating on matters affecting dairvS ing, and at their meeting at Dunedin ! recently the necessity of practising the | co-operative spirit in their dairying I business was stressed very strongly. One of the speakers urged the needs for co-operation among the factories, an 1 he put forward in his survey, a general view of the position which was rather in keeping with remarks made in this column from time to time. He was speaking from the producers’ point of view, the supplier to the factory. He said that the competition between the butter factories in the cities was the caitse of much loss to tho producers. In Southland they were born and bred in the midst of competition, which was of benefit to no one concerned, costing a lot of money and retarding success. Tho cost was not 1 ionic by the individuals responsible for the competition, hut by the producers. They could not afford to lose the money involved in extra employees, motor lorries, and all other paraphernalia necessary. Competition was at a discount to-day amongst the leaders of the business community. Tho modern business man and the successful business man had entirely eliminated the idea of competition. They had had a merger in Southland as a result of which five lorries had been cut out, at a saving of £4,000 a year. There had also been a saving in the matter of staffs. They had to impress on the man on the farm that the cream can and the milk can had to pay the expense, and, they must endeavour to cut down the costs that wlere put upon him. Other speakers were no less emphatic in the general situation, and the need there was for amalgamation to save costs of production and so put more money into {he pockets of the suppliers, Qne 8?

those addressing tho farmers present, Mr W. N. Singleton, of the Government service, is evidently in favour of general amalgamation scheme, where possible, to cut down overhead expenses. He statod that statistics showed that the costs resulting from overlapping amounted to about £35,000. This is in keeping with wlmt Mr Singleton told the North Island farmers previously, and as a result of his advice, a useful fusion has been carried out in several districts. What has been done in some large districts in the north, large-in. relation to production and output, could well be done here. In the aggregate here, though output is increasing, the total is not as great as that in some centres where amalgamation has taken place. With a smaller output the overhead costs must be the larger per pound of production. There are facilities here now for amalgamation which did not obtain formerly. When dairying was first mooted, the motor age was unknown, hut with tho coming of the motor and the improved roads, it is possible to collect cream over a very wide area and do it economically on a reasonable production. At the same time it will be realised that the same plant and practically the same running would do additional' work without additional cost, if all suppliers in a given district served a central factory. The saving in tho aggregate would he surprising if it had effect in a district such as this with the small factories at different points. Centralisation is essential for the full benefit of the co-operative spirit, and it would he in the interests of the farmer to study the advantages of such a policy fur general practice in this territory. There are vested interests of course which offer sonic harrier to a scheme being adopted readily, hut the greatest of difficulties arc not always insurmountable. If the folk mostly concerned would get together and talk over things, the situation would be better understood, and as the position was realised, so "would the difficulties become of minor importance tiil the co-operative spirit would assert itself with all its impelling force, and the great advance of so much value to tho •suppliers would conic to pass.