THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18342, 7 March 1923, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

MANY IDEAL DISTRICTS

RECORD OF DEVELOPMENT

SECOND PHASE OF SETTLEMENT

Dairying is not a pioneer industry, and therefore it is a comparatively new one in the King Country. But it is forging ahead now, and men who are competent to judge predict that portions of the great district will become second Taranakis and Waikatos. Short-sighted men sometimes- scoff at the predictions in regard to the dairying possibilities of the King Country. Optimists sometimes under-estimate the time when the dairy cow will be the chief producer of wealth there. If one takes a middle course, the outlook is still most encouraging, for it will be admitted mat 'the time has not yet come when a proper focus can be directed upon the farming possibilities ot the King Country. One sees wide areas carrying sheep, and he says : " This is wonderful. The land was in bush or scrub or fern only a few years ago." If he does not 'take the long view, which is difficult for those of poor imagination, he believes that maximum production has been reached. But in point of fact maximum production has not been reached anywhere in New Zealand, as those who have seen tne older lands fully realise. It is necessary for the present generation to adjust their perspective. Changing Standards. The traditions of the pioneers cannot be excelled, but their point of view in regard to the pace of settlement and the ultimate possibilities of the land usually is far from accurate. It is &. case of the personal equation. In the light of new knowledge and modern methods, modern markets and values ana reduced distances, the calculation which was accurate 30, 20, and even 10 year* ago, is far astray now. This applies to the King Country. . In many parts ot it the large holding represents a passing phase of settlement. Close settlement and intensive cultivation will be the next phase. And this phase has begun in some places and is not far off in others. It is common knowledge that much of the trouble fanners have experienced during the financial depression arose from inability to finance large holdings or to make the most of them. The result must be subdivision, and where there is serious difficulty in the way of subdivision, caps-Jially where native Jlwid is leased, economic necessity will insist upon a remedy. The speculator is inseparable from new settlement. Sometimes he retards aevolopmeut, sometimes expedites it, but, no matter what effect the speculator may have upon a district, he cannot lock up good land indefinitely. The Crown cannot lock up settlement land indefinitely. And in this connection it must be remembered that the pace at which settlement has proceeded in the past cannot be the standard of the future. A variety of factors l combine to raise the standard. They include the extension of good roads. and the building of railways, the presence' of an increasing population, the plentilu. supply of new machinery, 'the lessening of manual labour, the development of ' oversea markets for produce, and the widening of the national outlook. The extension of settlement during the next decade must exceed the settlement of the last 10 years' many times over. In the new era in the King Country dairying will occupy perhaps the foremost place. Its expansion during the past few years has been remarkable, notwithstanding the fact that some of the most suitable districts lack good roads and are far from the railway. Otorohanga and Te Kuiti. Remarkable progress in dairying has taken place in the northern part of the King Country, where the New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Company has- absorbed - the pioneer concerns, manufacture being centralised. at Otoroharißa. This factory, which contains one of the most up-to-date plants in the Dominion, draws its cream from as far south as Mananui to Te Mawhai in the north and across a district stretching 30 miles on either side of the railway. The largest quantities of cream, of course, are produced in th« Otorohanga and Te Kuiti districts.. At present the factory is dealing with the output of 15.000 cows, and despite the long distances over which some of the cream is carried, it has established a high reputation for the quality of its butter. During the last three months every one of the 26,000 boxes of butter forwarded to the grading store have been classed superfine—a. noteworthy achievement, which speaks volumes for the efficiency of the staff and the care taken by suppliers, who number 700, to preserve the quality of- their cream. A piece of organisation which makes for success is that the district is divided into wardc, each of which has its own suppliers' committee, and through these committees the company is able to communicate with the suppliers upon important questions of policy. Herd-Testing. ' Herd-testing has made some progress in the district, but not enough. Only onefifth of the cows are being tested, although the charge is only 2* 9d per cow for the season. The value of this work is found in the records of the herds. Six years ago the average yield was 1581bto 1601b. of butter-fat per cow. To-day there are herds reaching the average of 3001b. Experts urge that herd-testing should become the invariable rule, but they realise that until some . definite method is adopted which will prevent the culls from passing from herd to herd the maximum benefit will not be gained. This season the factory will produce about 1500 tons. Its capacity is 2000 tons. The highest daily make during the flush of the season was slightly over 11 tons. The Piopio factory was also established in 1910, when there were only 19 suppliers. Eighteen tons of butter was manufactured in the first season and last season the quantity wag 222 tons, when there were 155 suppliers. The Taumarunul District. The possibilities of dairying in the King Country are being clearly demonstrated by the expansion of the operations of the Kaitieke Co-opexative Company at its two factories situated at Piriaka and Matiere south of Taumarunui, where its headquarters ' are l; established. ■ • Last season the company had a total of 450 suppliers; this season the number is 600, while the output is anticipated to. be 800 tons of butter against 574 tons last year. -: Piriaka is seven miles south , of Taumarunui ] on the main- trunk line and Matiere is ; only a few miles from .the present terminus of the Ohura extension still served* by , Public Works Department's trains. The figures quoted speak for themselves. It is claimed that the dairying .land in this district is equal to the best Taranaki and Waikato lands and it never suffers from drought. The company draws some of its cream from distances, there being suppliers who rail their cream from as far south as Raetihi and Ohakune and as far north as Te Kuiti but of course the bulk of the supply comes from surrounding districts. The cream from about 7500 I cows is handled.

The two factories were established 11 years ago by separate concerns md », I amalgamated three years ago. At J* commi>ncemei. , their output was »»« small the Piriaka factory producing In? five tons or thereabouts in its first y« I There can be little doubt that even %$. I sheep becoming a payable proposition tl district's dairy production will oontinT to increase for apart from the fact th t the land is there, the roads in the Oho? ' 1 district are in so bad a condition that*}* settlers in that locality are severely i stricted. No motor collection of cream- 1 possible, waggons sometimes with «»" horse teams being employed and soau*r I the settlers are so far away that the? I cream is two nights on the journey to it factory. Yet the butter from thefJr ies ranks very high on the Auckland inv|' ing list, the average grade being 94 pff f It is not surprising therefore that t> company's monthly payments odnjf! very favourably with those of any jJS North Island company co-operating 5? \ similar conditions. * ■ | Eaetihi Developments. V \ The Raetihi Co-operative Dairy (V | pany's factory,, situated in the town 0 i I Raetihi, is the only concern of "'iheiiy 1 in the district, and it has served tl» I district well during the period of a! I slump. The factory was established by jj a proprietary many years ago, beinj; Utj, f ever by the farmers in 1903 when flu \ annual output wa3 12 to 15 tons of bit. | ter. Production has steadily advanced Last year the output doubled, and thii year it will be about 150 tons, representing an increase of 25 to 30 per cent, on I last year's total. With the recovery of wool, it is possible that some of the suppliers may return to sheep grazing ' but there is no question that the dairy industry will continue to extend in tin area. : An important piece of enterprise on the part of the dairy company has been the supplying, on the time-payment m. tern, of pedigree bulla to suppliers, .to'.;' assist them in raising the butter-fat stand. ard of their herds. Six Friesian, and foot Jersey bulls of high quality have been introduced into the district under scheme during the past year, ami tht future will prove its wbdom. The company is now discussing the question o( obtaining the services of a herd teste to serve its own and adjacent districts In the Raetihi district alone the herds total 2800 to 3000 milking cows. The company also runs a general tuft fcr the benefit of suppliers, who Una obtain goods at city prices and recent profit bonuses., • . ,v llw| At Ohakune there is a dairy factory now making cheese. The land around the town is rapidly being transforms* into dairy farms and a large industry will Boon be established ther*. \> The Taihape district has _ never been regarded as suitable for dairying, • bet during the period when the price. of wool fell away so seriously, an impetus wai given to dairying, and the co-operativi dairy factory situated at Ohutu, a few miles south of the town, is now runni» at full capacity, the year's output bei% estimated ' at .300 tons, of butter.. .Tlw* are 220 suppliers scattered betraii; Karioi in the north and Ohingaiti in tin south. Cream-collecting vans are running in Ohingaiti, Mangaweka. .." Mataroa, Rangiwaea, and Taihape. The monthly pay-out is in the vicinity of £7000. In ' view of the increase that hfis taken $»<» the company is now contemplating _ rebuilding its factory. A gratifying achievement of the factory is that its butter holds the second Highest place on tin grading list at the port of Wellington. ~' -Ip : : — ' ysk