Belvedere Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.

NZ Truth, Issue 483, 19 September 1914, Page 4

Belvedere Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.

Balance-sheet for Year Ending July 31, 1914. From Cow Juice to Cheese, and What it Costs. A correspondent Vias sent forward the above balance-sheet, and "Cambist" is pleased to review it Taking It all through, the results, under the conditions, that have prevailed, must be considered very satisfactory. The life of a country worker Is a fairly strenuous one, and this writer considers that dairy farmers are indeed workers. The toil goes on without ceasing, but the life is, on the whole, a much better one than that led by the city worker. • Some day, It Is to be hoped, town and country workers will come closer together for mutual good. In plucky little Belgium, we got an example of what this writer means. The workers m that industrial hive interchango their occupations between farming and city occupations, raining* etc., and so get the most out of labor that is possible. This is sound economic sense. Of course, such a condition has swept away the large land grabber, BtiH to our hurt m this country. When the worker gets his fair share of the land ho lives In there is ' ■•<. v • NO ROOM FOR THE "SQUATTER," the*. curse, to the Walrarapa and other parts of God's Own at the present time. Another point about having the small land owner IS that intensive culture takes the place of the wasteful methods of the land grabber. , The whole country Is made fully productive and wealth accumulates In the hands of thoso who make It— the workers. Looking forward to the time when the last fresh-made Knight or Baronet vanishes from our stupid social conditions, this writer points out to a soundly managed railway service, also on' the lines of plucky Belglum. There the worker ©an travel long distances on a season ticket that enables town and country occupation, week-end residences with hia family m tho country, or dally travelling to and fro for work. Just now, our railways eat up a lot of our people's earnings without doing them commensurate good.- This will be exemplified m this review to a small extent. . The paid-up capital of this Uttlo company is just £1030, and very -profitable the Investment haa proved itself to be. With this trifle of cash, every year the settlers can set to work and bring Into current wealth no less than £16,000. Considering that the number of sharos is only 206, this la a wonderful fact and should make people investigate some of the co-oporatlve aspects of community combination. Co-operation is practically the solution of the whole problem of how to . ■ ■ OBTAIN ALL THE FRUITS OF LABOR for those who produce, them, and this concern Is a Hying proof that such objective is within reach of the workers. The only creditors at close of the accounts aro the suppliers and shareholders. The sum total la £1707 and will disappear when last season's output Is turned into cash. The assets, Including a sum of £212 at credit In the Bank of Mew Zealand, total £2876, and are qulto satisfactory as they stand. Nothing more could he expocted. Nothing - more need bo said about them. The profit and loss account shows -jnat economy hog beon the watchword Jn all that has been done. , The output of cheese has been 273 tons for the season, for which tho company received £10.232, or a little over £69 lOs per ton. Freight, railage, and insurance oat up no leas than £5 12s 6d per ton. a very heavy tax on industry. Tho pity 1b that those Hema were not given separately so that the farmer could see how much the blessed shipping companies rob him of and what the State owned and mismanaged rallwayß do to hurt J)lm. The sooner the shipping companies ore dealt with tho bettor for our farmers. It Is tlmo they got Inquisitive about these charges. There m much for the farmers to look Into In those matters. One fact must not be overlooked, those charges never come back, they just mean lost money for tho greater port. It IS MOKE THAN TEN PER CENT, of what tho fanner gets for his work and toll. The bank charges work out at £138, being oloao upon 10a per ton of cheoeo, A HUlo lesson on tho heavy exchange rates tho bank In charging, while U has nearly nine millions of tho deposltors' money locked up In London. i« god«t what a tlmo tho worker-farmer gota m this fair ■land of ours. All iho statistical figures given In tho report are well and clearly stated. They nhow that this company Iw abreast of others In the uamo lino. Tho farmer has received 13.81 pence per Ib for his butler fat; or a shade over s&d per (fttllon for his milk. Ab milk »« »el»nK m the towns for I*. per gajion this export business doea not Boom «uch a wonderful affair after all. What cheques tho former would recolve If our towns w«ro supplied direct from tho f armor! Thoro Is a lot of woatod valuo m the present position and v Ih tlmo wo had a clmn«o. What about helping on local Industries In ayery direction? AVould It not bo a good thing for tho farmers to buy local woollen*, boot* and all that Is ni present producod In thin country? Thi* would go far to building up the* milk cheque and thereby, stuff a few morfl dollAr* Into tho country workers' pockcta, while benefHtlng the {own wnno» aheet u« woll. Tlio tlmo Is dead r»j»o for a change. Wo have been too long »n tlio old rut, making pnrasHcji rich at our fixpenno. lx>t all tho workers como together and hftvo a good nflnaihlo chat about thing* In general. Do not lot any unucllod mmlnJ bounder Iniorfero In thin rrnmer. l^et iho protlts of all labor como to ihone who toll und npln.