MOEREWA DAIRY FACTORY

Northern Advocate, 18 November 1929, Page 8

MOEREWA DAIRY FACTORY

NEW BUILDING OPENED,

HON. J. G. COBBE OFFICIATES

(Special to “Northern Advocate.")

MOEREWA, Saturday

The new dairy factory at Mo-ore-wa was officially opened today by the ! Hon. J. G. Cobbc, Minister of Indus- I tries and Commerce. In the course of his speech the Minister said:I desire to congratulate the farmers of the district on co-operating to build the fine dairy factory I am privileged to open today, and also to express my appreciation of the lion- j our that has been conferred upon me. I hope that the spirit of co-operation which has led you to erect this factory will continue to exist, as nothing ,will tend towards success more more than the possession of full confidence in each other. The directors and management should aim at efficiency, and this efficiency can only be effectively attained and maintained if they possess the full confidence and co-operation of the suppliers and shareholders. It has been felt for some time by those qualified to judge that the future of the great northern district, of this Island is wrapped up in the proper fostering of the dairy industry. The Auckland province easily loads the other provinces in regard to annual 'Output. For the 12 months ended July of; this year the province sent into the grading stores no less than 1,063,610 cwt of butter and 265,107 cwt of cheese out of a total Dominion production of 1,633,18 1 cwt of butter and 1,732,135ewt of cheese. Whilst it is a fact that the bulk of the production came from the .South Auckland province, nevertheless great progress is evidenced during the last few years as far as North Auckland is concerned. Actually 742,161 boxes of butter and 10,113 i crates of cheese were exported from this area last season and I confidently anticipate that the rate of increased production will be greater in the north than in the south during the next decade. We are all aware that last season was a particularly favourable one from a dairying standpoint, the total increase in cheese and butter being 8,359 tons. It is evident that the better farming methods adopted in recent years, especially in connection with the greatly increased use of fertilisers, are chiefly responsible for this large increase. The annual report of the Department of Agriculture states that the quality of the daily companies, the .figures of our butter has been fully maintained during the past season by most for “finest” being slightly in excess of those of the previous year. The cheese report is hardly so satisfactory, shoeing as it does a fallipg off in “finest” quality. This is to some extent due to the hot weather and, to some extent, want of care of utensils on the farms. The newly appointed British Trade Commissioner (Mr Paish) is reported to have pointed out. that Great Britain imports half of her butter consumption and that at present the major proportion of her butter imports comes from the Continent. Danish butter, he states, is more popular on the English market than NeVv Zealand butter. This is said to be due to our distance overseas; and to the fact that in the pasteurising of New Zealand butter some of the flavour is lost before it reaches the London market. This shows how necessary it is to produce the right kind of butter as well as the right quantity. I trust that the new factory will produce butter second to none in flavour and quality and that Moerewa will establish a record for both quantity and quality. Thus you jtvill assist in raising the standard of the product and in ,so doing carry out your part in helping to wrest the lion’s share of the trade from our Continental competitors. The value iof dairy products exported leads other produce such as wool and meat. Its value of £20,862,700 last year was followed by wool equalling sixteen and a half millions, and although I am not setting myself up -to be a prophet I believe that next year’s total for dairy products will exceed that amount and perhaps make up to some extent, in ‘the national balance sheet, for the losses expected on the wool cheques. Great Britain is the Dominion’s best customer, 80 per cent of the butter and 99 per cent of the cheese having been shipped last year to London on Wept Coast ports of the United Kingdom, Australia in 1928 only took 1,183 tons of butter as against 4,748 tons in 1927, but this loss is more than compensated' for by increased shipments to Canada, which totalled 9985 tons in 1928 as compared with 5806 tons in 1927.

Dairy produce received 1 into grading stores for 12 months ended July, 1929; Butter. Cheese. Cwt. Cwt. Auckland 1,063,010 265,107 Gisborne 26,960 Napier 39,421 5,369 New Plymouth .... 129,891 350,860 Patea ‘ 28,648 379,825 Wanganui 71,836 131,791 Wellington 197,086 265,911 Lyttelton 45,676 30,009 Timaru 7,143 18,465 Dunedin 25,301 y 48,687 Bluff 6,615 236,111 Totals 1,633,187 1,732,135

As one interested in the co-cfpera-,tive movement in Neg; Zealand 11 emphasise the necessity for the famjers to work together, to help each , other, and to stand firmly and loyally behind the directors and management. The Government has provided’ a depfrtpent with qualified*

experts to give assistance to the dairy i fanner, and I hope, if any difficulties i arise, they will avail themselves of < this help. Their future welfare, how- 1 ever, depends largely iipon their own initiative and work, i need hardly remind those of you who live in this beautiful part of the Dominion, with all its climatic advantages and its historic past, that New Zealand is a land of promise and great opportunity, Nature with a lavish hand has scattered abroad her rich gifts of natural beauty, temperate climate, fertile soil and favourable situation. Much has been accomplished by her primary producers, and although what has been done up to the present is only a-part of jwhat the future will show, yet the man on the land has reason to be proud of his record of production. He can point to the tact that of our £56,000,000 worth of exports up to the end of September last nearly. 52 million pounds worth came off the land. This factory that has been opened today is fresh evidence ( that thgvpeople of. Moerewa believe in the.< future of their own district j and , their own country, and arc prepa red-to do their part towards adding to the material prosperity of the favoured land in which we live.' I have much pleasure in declaring the factory open and in doing so would like on behalf of the Government to express satisfaction at seeing such a useful and up-to-date works and to wish all concerned the host possible success.