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Northland Age, Volume II, Issue 35, 3 September 1930, Page 2

(To the Editor)

Sir,—Permit me to point out that figures published in the “Guardian” of 20th ult. over Dairy Company’s working are based on butter and not on butterfat, which means with a high over-run no more notice can be taken of them than of certain small prizes—inserted in your columns a week before the annual meetingsecured in Whangarei some five months ago. These figures, which we received a week or so before the election of directors, are quite legitimate,* and come m handy for electioneering purposes, but the moment the balance sheet is open for discussion should be dropped like hot bricks, and from then on, especially cream carting, we deal in butterfat which represents a truthful state of affairs.

If the Chairman —with all due respect to him —had taken the least notice of his balance sheet he would have found the costs of cream carting went up £720 in actual cash, and .OOld per lb butterfat. He may have noticed also that grades and deficiency tests amount rose quite a bit, but did not care to mention the matter.

The costs of labour etc, —per lb butterfat and not per lb overrun^—leave us certain the factory was not a home for unemployed prior to the “new” board functioning, and perhaps was the reason for two directors getting on their feet and telling the meeting they were learning quite a lot.

In reading out the grade listignoring anything that did not suit —the Chairman should have remembered that a 92 on the London market is just as good as a 94; that a lb of butter sold in New Zealand is worth twopence more than in London and the “Manuka” brand, if kept up to standard, is a good asset, and would help rectify that mistake in having a leading local merchant selling three boxes of Oruiu-Fairbuvns “dairy” to one of Kaitaia.

If the absurd policy of the board —to make last years workings look bad —were dropped and the Manager given a Iree hand regarding instructions in grading of cream etc., the suppliers would be much better off, leaving the Chairman free to tell the many and varied agents that Kaitaia Dairy Company is not a dumping ground tor foreign goods and machinery. In conclusion I would like to congratulate Mr. C. B. Michie in coming to the aid of the Dairy Company’s Secretary, but I am afraid it was at the wrong time On only two occasions have I seen Mr. Mclntosh in very great need of help, one was several years ago when we did not expect Mr. Michie to be there, the other was eighteen months ago when the atmosphere charged with bribes, hiding of water report etc., left Mr. Michie failing to respond. Hoping my report will be taken as in the interests ot the company. I am etc., W. Parker.