KATIKATI DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11871, 24 January 1902, Page 7

KATIKATI DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

;:,:;;; "" n»0»" " ■"■ : y The official ceremony of opening the above factory ■; was celebrated on Monday, and ifthere is any truth in the old adage, /' Happy isi the bride that the :sun shines on,' ~/this institution may look forward to a long career of prosperity,- as tho ■>■ weather was simply ' perfect after the continued but beneficial ; rain of some days that only cleared off on the night previous. /The factory is placed on the side.of the main road to Tauranga, adjoining the Waihakohe Bridge, about four ; and -';' a-half : miles south of J the township of Katikati, and has been erected in a thoroughly substantial manner by the contractor, Mr. W. J. Gray, of Katikati, /the: supervising • architect; being ; Mr. Robert sSimms," of . ;Waihi. ;fc. Tho ; building consists',: of / four / tiers i of floors on the slope of the hill, with ample drainage and gravitation into the river for all refuse matter. :* The milk enters the factory at the top, and is converted by the: machinery into butter, at the bottom floor, the water for dairy purposes being supplied by what we consider to be ,an • inexhaustible well, but as it is estimated ; : ; that ' at least 1000 lions a day will be required provision has ■ been made to obtain a ; further water supply, if necessary, ■ from the river to keep down the temperature on the concrete floors • and ensure perfect cleanliness. ; The building is 65ft by 37ft, is replete with the most up-to-date machinery, including a refrigerator, with cooling-room adjoining, the motive .power being obtained from a 10-horse power Taugyo engine and boiler, while tho separator will treat 500 gallons per hour. The K'.ntikati settlement being nearly 20 miles in length between the two: extremities, north and south, through which the: Thames-Tau-ranga Main Road rims, an additional separator, driven by a turbine engine, capable of treating 100 gallons per hour, has been erected for the accommodation of the settlers on the northern extremity near the Tuapiro Bridge, while Captain Hugh Stewart, ; at the extreme north, has placed a separator in bis-premises'at'.Athenree' to treat his own milk and that of his neighbours who may feel disposed to send their butter-fat to the factory, the distance being too great to convey the milk in safety. ,; The opening ceremony was to take place at noon, and for an hour previous the settlers and visitors commenced to gather in large numbers, amounting to over 500, including an apparently inexhaustible supply of well-dressed ; children: of all ages. Mrs. Captain Stewart, of Athenree,. had . kindly consented to perform, the pleasing operation of breaking the bottle of champagne' on starting tho machinery, a request made to her by the directors not only as an expression of respeot and esteem to her husband and ; herself, but also in appreciation of the indefatigable and successful action by her son, the secretary of the company, Mr. Mervyn James Stewart, in having inaugurated the idea thus brought to such a successful issue, . aSded by the 'stubborn perseverance and energy of the directors. Unfortunately, however, Mrs. Stewart had arranged to come by a special coach conveying some other friends from Wailii, and this coach, through some mishap, was two hours behind time in making a start, with the result that as aquarter to two was reached the visitors and children were complaining of _ hunger and thirst—a complaint unknown in hospitable , Katikati—with a long programme of sports to be got through, the directors requested Mrs. Mary GledstaJies, an old Katikati settler, sister to ; Mr. Vesey Stewart and Captain Hugh Stewart,; to perform the ceremony. The audience was then summoned inside the building, which was soon closely packed, the proceedings being opened by Mr. A. Shepherd, chairman of directors, who congratulated the people of Katikati upon the happy event they were about to celebrate, dwelling at some length, and in most appropriate terms, upon the great benefits resulting in every district by the establishment of creameries, to which Katikati should prove no /exception, and though, comparatively speaking, he was only a recent arrival in the settlement, he got much attached/to the place and the peoplo expressing his regret that he had not thrown in his lot in Katikati years ago. However, as the Father of the , Settlement and one of tho directorsMr. Vesey Stewart present, and from his long and intimate acquaintance with the peoplo and district he would ask him to address tho meeting. (Loud applause.) . # Mr. Yesey Stewart was received with hearty cheers, and spoke as follows: Mr. Chairman, ladies, and gentlemen,—Allow me to thank you most heartily for the honour you have conferred upon me in' having the opportunity, as father and founder of this settlement, to tender my most hearty congratulations upon the success that has attended our exertions lin /bringing this important work." to its present successful issue. The movement has been in contemplation for the last two years,' and I must give our worthy chairman the credit for having been most persistent in advocating the formation of this company, and to my worthy nephew, Mr. Mervyn James Stewart, in having inaugurated the formation of the company and , displayed a most ijndomafcablo energy in bringing us together, working up all the details, and to-day we have the result of his work, for which personally I can claim no credit beyond that due to my brother directors, who ono and all have been most indefatigable in their exertions, aided by that spirit of self-reliance that has ever been, and I trust will ever be, the characteristic of this most important but "maligned special settlement. It has been said, and truly said, " that one half of the. world does not know how tho other half lives," and if we oomparo Katikati with other districts in the colony I am satisfied that any impartial critic must admit that while New Zealand is by nature the richest endowed country in the universe ) Katikati, taking it as a whole, is the best district in New Zealand. The land is of an average good quality throughout. We arc favoured in Wailii with the best market in the Auckland province .'at;our doors, and, owing to the labour legislation forced on tho general public by the trade unions, through whom: we are at present virtually governed, the cost of transit on every article required by the publio is so much increased that to a great extent wo reap an indirect benefit therefrom, as the cartage of our product to market is penformed by our own teams. Then the many miles of sea frontage to the noble harbour of Tauranga affords us a most equable temperature, with a comparative : absence of frost in winter and of excessive ■ heat in summer, advantages not enjoyed by' tho inland districts of this province. But; with all these great natural advantages we* roust not forget that the future success of, r four present co-oporative dairy can bo enor- ■ ! mously increased by our own exertions. It j has been said by the great Lord Palmerston i "that tho man who made one blade,of grass grow whero none grew before deserved tho thanks of his country.": We must get mora land under grass, increase the numbar of our cows, provide winter feed for tho summer supply of milk this cannot be done without capital and industry, and no settler here feels the want of capital more strongly than I do, and I can therefore speak feelingly on ; the subject; but this factory will give us capital, with an incentive to work; and I feel sanguine when we all fully realise by practical results the great benefits sure to result from, the course I suggest that our prosperity will increase by leaps and bounds, that the remaining balance of tutu, tea-tree, and fern now existing will be transformed into pasture, and in the course of a few years, when some of my contemporary pioneers and myself shall have been consigned to our last resting-place at Te Mania, ■ that our children will bless the day when their fathers first decided to cast their lot in the Katikati settlement. I will not detain you longer. In; thanking you for the patient hearing you have given me I would ask you in conclusion to bear in mind the advice given to his countrymen by Dan Council: "A long pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together." Foster that spirit of co-operation and unity in every detail, including the formation of your Medical Club and your Farmers' Club, with the result that prosperity and happiness will bo the permanent heritage of the Katij kati settlers. (Loud applause.) ! Mrs. Gledstanes, having then turned the steam on the engine, broke the bottle of champagne, sot tho machinery in motion, and, amid long and continued cheers, : declared the factory open. . i The company then adjourned ;to an adjoining paddock for luncheon, which ; was most liberally supplied by the directors and the peoplo of Katikati. One of the: teats, containing. beer, spirits, wine, lomonade, otc, was well patronised during the day, and out of the large concourse present of settlers and visitors from Waihi and other places I did not observe a single person present who could bo charged with having partaken of anything strongov/ than •' tea. , Mr. Foy, photographer,; from Waihi, / was busy during the day with: his apparatus. A long programme of sports was only. got through as the shades of night began to fall, and the Katikati Brass Band;, brought their long musical programme to a .close ;by playing tho f National Anthem.; The catering arrangements were perfect, and were under the superintendence of Mr. 0. F. Wiglcy and Mrs. MoClung, aided by the ; wom«nfolk; of Katikati. The subscriptions included a guinea each from Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co., Hie Oampbell-Ehren-fried Co., Ltd., a 10lb box of tea from Mrs. O. iF. Wigley for. the married women's race, a gold brooch, set in rubies, by Mr. 0. Millar,-: for tho : single women's race, : and various other numerous .subscriptions, , from half a guinea to five shillings, while an ■ inexhaustible : 5 supply- of cakes and confectionery . was provided ' by/! tho Kaitikati -' housewives, in ' addition to the more substantial repast, solid and liquid, supplied by the- directors.--[Own Correspondent.] i