OAONUI.

Opunake Times, Volume IV, Issue 180, 26 May 1896, Page 2

OAONUI.

(Oub own Correspondent.)

A meeting of the Oaonui milk suppliers was held in the school-house on Thursday afternoon last, Mr D. Lusk in the chair.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and adopted. Mr Y. Harrison tendered his resignation as secretary, and Mr W. D. Scott was elected to the office. The former was tendered a vote of thanks for his services.

The Articles of Association as prepared by tbe solicitor were read and adopted. The directors then affixed their signatures to the document, as required by Act, and instructions given for registration. A letter, to which were attached the signatures of every shareholder in the new company, was written the Crown Dairy Company, asking their price for the Oaonui Factory, a reply to be given within seven days. About 150 more shares were taken up, making the encouraging total of 845, with nearly 200 more to come in. In the event of the Crown Company demanding a greater figure for their factory tham is considered value, the Public Trustee will be applied to for a site for tbe new factory opposite the former premises. Those few dairymen who have persistently bung out and contended against the operations of the new company will now have to pay an additional 50 per cent premium per share.

Mr Spencer, Inspector of Schools, paid a visit to our school on Tuesday last, and having spent some time among the children, expressed himself highly pleased with the progress of the youngsters under Mr Allen’s charge. Very ugly stories are going the rounds concerning the recent dog poisoning cases in the vicinity of Nga-* riki Road. The parties credited with the affair bold positions which should ensure them against stigma such as is cast upon them in this case. The Crown Factory proprietors sent their local man to the school-house on Thursday last, armed with a bundle of circulars, which be was instructed to serve upon suppliers of milk attending tbe meeting. In its second paragraph the circular- set forth that tbe company’s representative would shortly visit the district and lay before suppliers a scheme for payment according to results, a question which has been before their minds a very long time, and which they now saw a probability of carrying into practice in an acceptable manner. The recipients of the tidings at the eleventh hour expressed themselves in terms not complimentary to the company, the proposal being looked upon as one which should have been enacted two years ago.

The usual fortnightly dance took place on Friday night, when there was, as usual, a good muster of both sexes to indulge iu the light fantastic. A dairy farmer on the Coast, whose word is truth—said Mr McFie, at the Oaonui meeting ou Thursday—has just received his account sales for January, which give the highly satisfaotary result of nine pence per pound for butter after paying all expenses. This, he thought, might serve in a measure to prove what profits were made whilst paying about 2£d per gallon for milk, in January he had tested his milk, with the result that 211bs milk produced one pound of butter. This quantity at factory rates would cost about giving »a clear profit of 41d per pound on the butter.