AN ENTERPRISING CHINAMAN.

Mataura Ensign, 27 January 1911, Page 3

AN ENTERPRISING CHINAMAN.

"FATHER OF DAIRY FACTORIES." At the Town Hall, New Plymouth, the other day, Mr Chew Chong, who is often styled the father of dairy factories in Taranaki, was presented with an address as a recognition of the service rendered to the province by his enterprise in the early days. In reply, Mr Chong was reminiscent, as will be seen from a perusal of the following abridgment from the Taranaki 'News':—When he arrived in New Zealand, he said, he knocked about the South Island for three years, then came j to Wellington, recognised the fungus, went into the trade, and made a good profit out of it. Other Chinamen and many white people then engaged in the business. The Maoris used to bring in cart loads every day, and one day a Taranaki Maori told him there was plenty of fungus there, so he went to Taranaki. One day, in the third week, he paid out £65 cash for fungus, at the rate of 5s per bag. Then numbers of people went in for fungus-buying, including Messrs Newman, Humphries, R. Cock, King, and Shuttleworth Brothers, and from 35 to 40 bullock dray loads used to come in every day. He then started stores at New Plymouth, Inglewood, and Eltham. He had purchased 40 kegs of butter, which he could not sell in New Zealand, so he sent these to England. He lost money, as freight was so dear, and the butter only realised 4d per lb. The butter was very bad, only fit for cart grease, so the agents informed him. Mr Hulke, of Bell Block, advised him to get a pair of separators at £95 each. He did so, and started a factory at Eltham in 1887, with the registered brand "Jubilee." The first butter he sent Home realised 955., whereas farmers' butter brought 70s. In 1889 he sent 20 boxes to the Exhibition at Dunedin. He never thought to secure the prize, as it took about a week getting there, but he got first and second prize. The Crown Dairy Factory Company also took prizes. In fact, six prizes came to Taranaki. A coincidence was the fact that a Chinese flag was flying over his butter, although at the time it was not known to be his. The papers could not understand it —they never dreamt that a Chinaman could beat an Englishman or an Irishman, and he got inquiries as to his methods from all over New Zealand. The first year he gave 2d per gallon for milk, and lost on it_ as it was too expensive to manufacture, though butter sold locally at Is 2d and Is J3d. Next year lie had to give 3d per gallon, butter was a bad price, and he lost over £IOOO. While there were few cows he was asked to erect creameries. He erected three, but when cows were plentiful they started co-ope-rative factories. He had to give id per lb extra for milk to secure trade, and even then he could not get much. He lost over £7OOO. He stuck at it for sixteen or seventeen years, hut lost over £7OOO. He thought he had been treated very shabbily. Why did not the co-operative people buy him out, even if they had only paid half the cost of his p.r.nt:- As a :i>attc-r of I'aet, they said, -'Look at .101 l and the Crown {'o:ni:;-iv, tif.-y ~;v :n:;Liii,j; fortuni./." Well lie his. II is ten si p.i r;<i :! s vere sold at the foundry for '2s (id per ewe, i-ie had done i!;e country goo;!, because since the establishment of dairy factories the value of land had ."•row n like a inn-!iroom. He wa« '/err pleaded to accept tins memento.