DAIRY COMPANIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19092, 10 August 1925, Page 16

DAIRY COMPANIES.

NORTHERN WAIROA PROGRESS REVIEW OF YEAR'S OPERATIONS. friY TKLEGItArn. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] DARGAVILLE. Saturday. The twenty-third annual meeting of the Northern Wairoa Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, was held to-day. Mr. Thomas Bassett, chairman of directors, j presided. Tho attend&nco was not so large as usual, owing to tho new system for tho election of directors, which is now conducted by postal ballot instead of by voting at tho annual meeting. Tho directors' report congratulated tho shareholders upon tho returns for tho season. After paying all costs and writing off by way of depreciation, £3622, thero remains for final payment £24,859, which, spread over the wholo season, means a further payment of 2d per lb. to suppliers. I Allowing for cream cartage, tho price for the year is Is 5Ad. Tho output for tho season was 1590 tons, an increaso of 25 tons. • Up till February thoy wero 80 tons up on the previous year, but tho bad autumn spoilt tho record, and the supply fell off much more than usual. Tho average grading for tho year for butter was 92.29, with only 149 boxes of secondgrade butter. Tho chairman explained the operation of absolute control, which comes into force in August, 1926, and urged suppliers to make an extra effort to keep up the quality of cream. Tho question of the appointment of an assistant-manager so that the mannßer would havo rnoro time out of the factory to be among suppliers, was fully explained. Since last meeting, proceeded the chairman, tho whole of the factory buildings had been completed in brick, thus reducing the risk of loss by fire. New additions and alterations had cost £4291. Tho manufacture of casein had been stopped owing to a falling market. The ice-making plant added this season showed a substantial profit from sales. Mention was made of the provision which had been made for the erection of a branch factory at Kirikopuni, the future junction of tho Kiri-kopuni-Dargaville railway lino. The damago done to tho regular steamer Pioneer by fire was mentioned, and the chairman said the company had been lucky to have an emergency vessel to take its place. This vessel had recently been converted into ,an oil-buiner. A new can-washing plant had been installed and the factory was now more up-to-date than ever it had been. • • Ho spoke against new heavy traffic regulations, which, if enforced, would compel tho company to discard heavy lorries now in use, and purchaso lighter ones. A committee had been set up to go into the question of financing faimers in the purchase of fertilisers for top-dress-ing. Tho directors realised tho importance of getting clean pastures for dairy stock, and were doing all they could to put land in good condition so that production could be raised. The balance-sheet, details of which have aheady been published, together with the directors' report, was discussed and finally adopted.

THE SIZE 03* FACTORIES. MORRINSVILLE DISCUSSION. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] MORRINSVILLE. Saturday. What is the most economical size for a dairy factory ? This question was discussed at the annual meeting of the Morrinsvillo Dairy Company. Mr. F. W. Seifert (chairman) slated that expenditure up to about £3COO would convert the factory into cue capable of handling 1000 tons of butter in a. year. Mr. V. Ai'.deison asked if the shareholders were going to continue altering the factory ? Were they going on indefinitely, continuing to issue new shares? The chairman said the factory was not yet at the most economical stage. The company would have to face this question some day, but he did not th'rik that time had yet come. The factory, in ' his opinion, would be at a more economical size at BCO tons to 900 tons than at present. The chief mistake with the smaller companies was that they made extensions by building more factories instead of confining their operations to the one district. One of the articles of the Morrinsville association . was that they must not build outside the present site. Mr. A. Topham said something should be done that day with regard to the factory. There should bo something in view as "to where operations were to stop. Mr. Leeson considered a 1000-ton factory an economical one, and maintained that the discussion could be deferred until the factory had been enlarged to copo with 1000 "tons of butter annually. The matter was then allowed to drop.

HAIJRAKI PLAINS. [BY TELEGIWriI.—OWN COURESPONOTNT. ] THAMES. Saturday. The tenth annual meeting of suppliers of the Hauraki Plains Co-operative Dairy Company attracted a large sttendance yesterday. The directors and staff were complimented on the satisfactory financial position of the company and an announcement that tho final payments for tho season would amount to Is 7.64 d, including share capital interest. The chairman of directors, Mr. A. H. Rogers, presided. Tho report showed a very considerable increase in tho supply of* butter-fat over tho previous season for both butter and cheese making. There had been improved prices throughout tho season for cheese. Tho increase in butterfat supplied .'or cheese making over last season was 21.2241b and for butter-making 26.0541b. In addition to this increase of butter-fat the company had received 14,6771b of whey butter-fat from an outside company for manufacture into whey butter. Taking the total butter-fat for cheese creamery butter and whey butter for tho previous season against tho season just closed this showed an increase of 64,8811b of butter-fat handled. Notwithstanding this considerable increase several of the charges affecting the costs of production were lower for tho past season than the previous season, most notable among which wore the wages account, the power account and supplies and requisites account. The output of cheese for the season was 463 tons 17 cwt; creamory butter, 48 tons 16 cwt; whey butter, 17 tons 18 cwt. At June 30 last there were 1250 crates of cheese, 21 boxes of creamery butter and 164 boxes of whey butter still unsold. It was anticipated that the whole of this would bo sold by the end of August. Tho bnlanco in hand of £5683 7s 2d would give an additional payment of 2.8 d to cheeso suppliers and 2.34 d to butter suppliers making tho total payout for the year of Is 7d for cheese and Is s£d for butter. These figures were based on the unsold cheese and butter realising the respective amounts at which they had been estimated.

WAIOTAHI. [BY TELECJUAI'U.— OWN CORRrRPONOENT. ] OPOTHa. Saturday. The annual meeting of tho Waiotahi Dairy Company was hold yeiteiday, Mr. W, N, Rowo, chairman of d.rectors, presiding. The directors' report showed good results for tho season, the 'otal payout being about Is sd. Tho election of wo directors resulted in tho return of Messrs. R, Dupontet and R. Looney.