GREAT DEVELOPMENT

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 47, Issue 2669, 13 September 1937, Page 7

GREAT DEVELOPMENT

GRASSLAND FARMING A NEW CHEESE FACTORY. The decade 1910-20 was one of great development in the dairying industry. There are three features of farming that distinguish the period from former times. In the first place, grass-land farming definitely took its place in agricultural economy. It was realised that permanent pastures were essential and that these must be kept in condition by proper manuring, severer harrowing and rotational grazing. Secondly, gttfeat improvements were made in herds; and much credit must be given the herd-testing movement for making the farmer

realise the value of the tested and high production herd. The beef cow began to disappear, to make way for the dairy Jersey and Friesian; new blood was introduced, and pedigree bulls with butterfat backing were in greater demand than ever. In the third place, the farmer saw the value of co-operating with the Department of Agriculture as well as with his own dairy, company, particularly with regard to the question of herd-test-ing.

There were sundry other changes. A great advance was made in the use of mechanical appliances, especially for the gathering and stacking of hay; silage became, more popular; but the area devoted to swedes was lessened. The heavy sheep gave way to the lighter types, which were suited to the fat-lamb market. The land devoted to the fattening of bullocks and the raising of sheep was chiefly that along the foothills of the ranges.

Tatua and Motumaoho

It was not until 1914 that a very strong demand for land about Tatua set in. Before long the whole of the estate was sold at prices ranging from £6 to £4O. Mr W. H. Milliken, who played such a large part in the early history of the district, had paid £8 for his land. He proved a worthy representative on the Piako County Council, Waitoa riding, the Waitoa Drainage Board, the Thames Harbour Board, and the directorate of the Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company, of which he was first chairman. With the influx of new settlers in 1914, it was determined to have a cheese factory—but not until after lengthy debate on the merits of cheese and butter. This co-operative concern began operations on October 1, 1914, the first directors being: Messrs W. H. Milliken, W. H. Gyde, J. Henrickson, R. Ramsay, J. Runciman, W. Whinray and W. C. Woodley. So confident of success were the settlers that they signed a joint-and-several guarantee for the money to be lent by the Bank of Australasia, without actually having had one cow guaranteed. The original building, plant and manager’s residence cost £1,700; but additions soon had to be made. In the 1916-17 season the Tatua company made 493,913 pounds of cheese. The names of some of the earliest settlers are: Messrs E. Chinnery, S. Burge, R. Garroway, F. Cooper, JCaton, Buchanan, F. S. Donald, J. W. Cornwall, Allen Gyde, J. Clements', J. Marshall, J. G. Steele, P. S. Philpott, A. M. Thompson, P. Rushton, F. J. Newson, F. Lockyer, W. Northcott, W. Stockbridge, W. A. Middleton, G. McGregor, G. Semmens, W. Manhire, A. G. Russell, G. J. Pinchen, H. D. Wilton, W. C. Woodley, W. Wood and W. Whinray.

It was not long before the settlers had agreed to have a hall, which was opened in August, 1916, and later enlarged to its present size. At first this hall served as a school building, indeed, it had to do service in that capacity for nearly 10 years.

Although there was a certain amount of milk separated at Motumaoho in the early days, when limited quantities of cream were sent to the Frankton factory, it was not until 1910 that the New Zealand Dairy Association established their first creamery in the district. As the land was gradually sub-

divided, however, it became more apparent that more adequate provisions for the treatment of the greater incoming quantities of milk were necessary. The concrete foundations of the first creamery were later to be seen on Bluett’s property on the Morrinsville side of the settlement. The

creamery was at first supplied by 500 cows, though many farmers still kept on with their own separation. In those days butterfat was bringing 101 d a pound, a rate which the suppliers expressed the keenest dissatisfaction when they compared it with the 1/Jd paid to the Matangi farmers by the same association. All

payments, the settlers considered, should be uniform, with due allowance for the extra cost of running a small creamery like Motumaoho. A committee consisting or Messrs C. Manuel, C. Bluett, R. J. McCausland, and J. Wilson was set up and received the promise of 450 cows to supply a cheese factory. After refusing to entertain the proposals of certain firms, they approached Mr AV. Goodfellow, then manager of the Waikato Co-operative Cheese Company. The negotiations were successful and the Waikato company erected the factory, (installed the plant and manufactured the cheese for lid a pound. Moreover, the settlers would be permitted to take over the factory as a co-operative concern at the end of three years, if they so desired. The first manager, Mr J. Rankin, was killed in the Great War.

Beginning operations in the year before the outbreak of the war, the factory was so successful that Mr Goodfellow allowed the settlers to conduct it on co-operative principles before the period of the agreement had expired. So it was that the Norfolk Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, came into being in 1915. The share-money was duly subscribed and the factory and plant purchased. As the company’s pay-out increased, owing to the soaring prices of butterfat, the number of suppliers became greater and greater, and the creamery finally closed down in the same year. In the 1919-20 season the district pay-out amounted to £20,290/10/9.

Some of the well-known farms were those of Messrs H. Manuel, A. Robins, A. M. Lewis and Lyall and McCausland. Mr Manuel’s farm consisted of 826 acres, which were later cut up into six sections which brought £3O the acre in more prosperous times. The area was originally swamp, teatree and scrub. Mr A. Robins specialised in the growing of turnips which were said to be the best in the Waikato. His secret lay in his. appreciation of the value of manures. Mr Lewis, who owned 900 acres of swamp-land in 1914, had 10 miles of drains running through the property in the following year; moreover, he had 200 acres turned with the double furrow plough—and this despite the fact that often a lengthy period would be spent extricating the horses from the bog. Messrs Lyall and McCausland had 1,000 acres, of which only about 230 acres were ungrassed. In 1915 the farm was carrying 1,000 sheep, 30 head of cattle and many calves and horses. Some of the other early settlers were: Messrs J. W. Beltz, W. P. Kenah, J. Young, H. J. Meintosh, C. Stanley, J. B. Sims, J. B. Maher, W. F. Squires, W. Howie and R. H. Hinton.

In the year 1909 the Sunny Park estate, most of which is included in the distrist known as Te Poi, was owned by Messrs J. Manuel and J. Endean, who bought the property of 3,000 acres, at £l/7/6 an acre from Messrs Hart and Wood who purchased it from the Scottish Widows’ Fund. This land which was originally in tall scrub was greatly improved under the direction of the manager, Mr Henry Manuel, son of one of the proprietors.

It was the subdivision of the land in 1913 that made the district. Poor roads and rabbit-infested native land nearby had hitherto dissuaded intending settlers; but the Matamata. County Council now gave a little more attention to improvements, particularly the roads by means of which reasonably good communication was soon established” with- the surrounding districts. The proprietors of the land now established a cheese factory at the spot where the Mata-mata-Rotorua and Cambridge-Tau-ranga roads cross. The settlement

thus had a good start, for the new comers proceeded immediately to draw revenue from their holdings. In 1914 a post-office and school were built. The Sunny Park Co-operative Dairy Company made 164,671 pounds of cheese in their first season, 1916-17. (To be Continued).