DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 234, 1 September 1938, Page 5

DAIRY INDUSTRY.

EARLY DAYS RECALLED. HAMILTON, Aug. 31. Memories of the clays when there were only two dairy factories south of Auckland and when the principal plant consisted of the old box churn and rotary table butter-worker, axe vividly retained by Mr R Kay, of Hamilton, who has retired after .44 years’ service with; the industry. Mr Kay has watched the development of dairying from its struggling beginnings to one of the principal exporting industries of tho country. _ In 1894 Mr Kay started lus dairying career under the late Mr Henry Reynolds at tho latter’s Ngaruawahia factory, tho only other factory ini the district being that of the lulo Mr Wesley Spragg at Pukekoho. ' ‘ - The largest daily output was 2 ton? 2cwt., and all packing was done by hand in kegs. In thoso days there were only about 20 direct suppliers to the factory. Mr Kay worked in ereameries and factories in Waihou (near To Aroha),:Pirptigia, Newstead, and Taupiri. When Mr W Goodfellow started home separating and established tho Waikato Co-operative Dairy Company, Mr Kay travelled throughout a wide territory on behalf of its rival, the New Zealand Dairy Association, canvassing for supply. With the amalgamation of the association with the Waikato company in 1919 Mr Kay carried on' with the new! company and has been travelling representative ever since. Many changes'have been witnessed in dairy "methods and manufacture by Mr Kay with' the passing of the years. The transport of cream to the factories in days when there were no metalled reads presented a major problem, but on the other hand as most settlers were working undeveloped country, stock diseases were nothing like what they are to-day in severity or extent. -