DAIRY YEAR

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 220, 17 August 1939, Page 5

DAIRY YEAR

AWAHURI FACTORY. SLIGHTLY HIGHER PRODUCTION. The- 42nd annual meeting of the Awahuri Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., was field in the Awahuri Hall, yesterday, Air N. Campbell (chairman of directors) presiding. Probably due to tho inclement weather conditions, there was only a small attendance of suppliers. The report and balance-sheet (as already published) were adopted. “On behalf of the board of directors, 1 must congratulate the company on having had another successful year,” stated the chairman, in moving tho adoption of the report. “The production was six tons more than last year’s, and this must he considered very satisfactory considering the exceedingly dry conditions during tho latter part of the season and the difficulty in getting suitable farm labour, ■The dry spell was general throughout the country and most companies showed a large decrease in output. “The quality of our butter has been well maintained, our grade averaging 94.C84 ; this is .205 higher than last year. It is very gratifying to state that ! our butter is still in great demand both in England and New Zealand. “'Die dairy industry insurance scheme is now well established. “You will notice our costs to f.o.b. have increased, but this was to be expected and wo could not control such expenditure as railway freights, boxes, wages and machinery repairs,” Air Campbell added. “Our plant has been kept up to th.e highest standard and is one of the best in New Zealand, which

has helped to offset some of our increased costs. JJy the direction of tho Executive Commission of Agriculture, we asked all our suppliers to take their quota of shares in the company, and I am pleased to state that- the suppliers have responded whole-heartedly to our request. “The deferred payment of 2.575 d will be pand on August 20; the amount will be approximately £30,000, and Iho fetal payment per lb will ho 10.736-ld for tho season just ended, being 1.4015 d belter than last- year, and is one of tho host pay-outs in New Zealand for a dairy company manufacturing butter only.”

In conclusion, Air Campbell thanked the. suppliers for the continued intrest they were taking in the affairs of the company. He also thanked the manager, secretary, directors and staff for the support they had given in the past year. " DAIRY INSTRUCTION.

Mr A. X. Morcom, in commenting 1 on the balance-sheet item of £l5O 3s 7d for the farm dairy instructor, inquired why a wide disparity existed between the payment the Awahuri Company made to the instructor and another company the speaker supplied, the latter sum being £t>o. The cost lor Awahuri was ,015 d per lb of butlerfat and .003 d for the other company. The chairman said that the Department of Agriculture had brought out a schedule of how the instructor should bo paid. Some companies collected -Is from each supplier, big and small, but the Awahuri Company deducted the amount on a pro rata basis from the butlerfat supplies of each supplier.

The- secretary stated that the Government had instructed each company to pay .OOSd, together with 4s for eacii supplier.

It was decided to recommend a dividend of 6 per cent, on the paid-up capital provided for in the balance of appropriation account, on the motion of Mr ,T. A. Russell. 'flic retiring directors. (Messrs P. Hansen and ,T. ]<V Lynch, were reelected to the two vacancies on the board. Messrs Dempsy and Litchfield, of Palmerston North, were reappointed auditors. A resolution was passed granting the secretary (Mr C. D. Fraser) and the manager (Mr W. S. Death) a bonus of £lO and each member of the staff a bonus of £4. A vote of thanks to the directors, the staff and the Press was carried by acclamation.

At a subsequent meeting of directors Mr Campbell was re-elected chairman.

LOYALTY OF SUPPLIERS. KOIIIXUrS PAY-OUT. , “The few suppliers who liavo remained loyal to their own dairy company,” states the 25th report of Die North Tiraumea (Kohinui) Company, “have the satisfaction of knowing that the average payment for the .year is well above that of many of the larger dairy companies operating in this district. This has been brought about by the closest attention being given to costs in every direction, expenditure being kept at a minimum. The continuing suppliers have resolved to carry on the business for still another year, entirely in their own interests, and feel justified in doing this. The permanent closing of the factory will then be considered, and if resolved upon, (lie property and other assets will be disposed of. The average payment for butterfat the previous season was 15.16 d per lb. For this season the monthly advance was Is 4d, and it is jiow possible to pav a further 2d a lb. making the average payment (for all butterfat) Is 6d per lb. All milk received during the year was first-grade: the average butterfat test was high, viz., 4.5 per cent., and satisfaction is expressed at the result of the work oil the farm and in the factory. Unsold cheese has - been taken into account on the basis of the Government price. The factory and plant are in good order. Mr 11. Zeineft, factory manager, has resigned, as lie is taking .up dairy farming. Our thanks arc duo to him for assistance in every way. Mr R. E. Gemmed has received the appointment as manager. lie comes to us with excellent recommendations, our one regret being that lie lias not a larger supply of milk to deal with.”

The statistics arc—Payment previous year per lb butterfat, 15.6R1; payment current year per lb butterfat 16d ; estimated surplus, 2d: number of suppliers, 4 (3) ; pounds milk received, 1,626,719. (1,741,795); pounds of butterfat, 73,235 (78,862); average butterfat test, 4.50 p.e. (4.53 p.c.); total charges, including repairs and depre.ciation up to f.o.b. at per lb. butterfat, 3.589 d (3.491c1); pounds of cheese (factory packing weight), 182,841 (193,921)•; pounds milk to make lib cheese, 8.897 (8.981) ; pounds cheese to lib butterfat, 2.496 (2.46): average grade of cheese, 90.889 (90.714): pounds of butterfat recovered from whey, 4.752 (4,798) : expressed as percentage of total butterfat received for cliecsemnking. 6.487 (6.084): milk grade percentages, first 100 p.c., (98.73 p.c.); second,