Ballance Dairy Factory.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume II, Issue 200, 10 September 1894, Page 3

Ballance Dairy Factory.

Meeting of Settlers.

k netting of milk suppliers was held on t< Monday eyening, Mr Eddie in the chair. The Chairman said that he had received a C letter from Mr Roberts, the secretary of s the Farmers’ Dairy Union, to the effect u that a meeting of the Dairy Union fc n Directors would take place on the 11th ii inst., but in the meantime they eeuld get their guarantee lists ready, and there was b no doubt the proposals already made h would i»© mAniii * Mr John Sinclair : I see nothing for it t but to go on with ono of our own. These repeated delays will waste the season. g Mr McCardlo understood that there was » a gentleman in the room who had a fresh n proposal to make. He believed it was Mr lire villa. ® Mr (ireville said that for the last three 3 months he had seen this trouble with Cook r and Co. ahead, and when in Wellington a about that time had taken the trouble to a call on the manager of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile. The manager had t then promised that he could hud capital c to start factories if necessary. The other t day he had written to Mr Foster, the s manager of the company, and this gentle- r man was prepared to meet suppliers with j u a view of doing business anytime this week, j The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile : v was prepared to do business somewhat on t those lines. They would find all the | v capital required to put the produce on the j t market (no shares need be taken up) and | advance the highest amount on the milk. < Mr Foster would be able to give all these ; c details and all particulars wnen he met j i settlers. The letters from the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile were here read offering to make such arrangements which i would be mutually agreeable, and asking - Mr (ireville to arrange a meeting. Mr Cooper said there were no faots t before them and he thought the settlers c should do one of two things, either join | the Farmers Dairy Union, or go bask to t Cook and Urav. Cook aud Cornpsny's j offer was as fair at any they were likely < to get. The proposals they had just had mado were a complete blank, and he ; > thought thev were showing great weakness in this shilly shallying with every new I proposal put before them So far they oniv had the shadow of a proposal and positively could not deal with it. In the meantime tbey were losing valuable time. I Mr MeCardle said that the proposal they had just had put before them seemed a good one. but to flirt with every proposal in the way they were doing, was hardly the way to make good terras for themselves. They must take a thorough stand or they would fall between two stools. They had entertained the dairy union s proposals and must now give them fair i play. He was satisfied, also that they could make better terms with Cook and Company, ami finally they had this last proposal, which on the face of it seemed the best, but until they had seen Mr Foster they were in the dark. In the , meantime he hoped they would meet this gentleman. This changing round every twenty four hours w s very unsatisfactory. I Mr Marriot: The chief grievance against j the firm of which Mr Cook is head is that | we have not had a fair test. (Mr Cooper : for how long?>. Last season this firm’s | last on several occasions varied so much j that it was impossible to believe it. I j fer oae will not eign the agreement of Mr Cook as it now stand*. 1 want to see some Company by which we can have fair ' play. Mr 'fail: I fer one will not siga that ! agreement of Cook and Company. The position is • serious one. We have the -•anon upon us and no doubt we will have to decide oae w\y or the other. Surely wnen a firm wismes to rnak* an arrange m«at like the oae we are asked to make we ought to treat with them. They have | Inrentened to lake away their factory. Why don’t they doit? No! they let it •land and tantalise ua and think us long a* w« w ft] w* v-i Ml M back to ! them I might say that I had a letter from 1 the manager, Mr Hoisted, telling me they were prepared to start if they could get suHieieut support. This was a peculiar stand to take after the first meeting when they said “ you can take our offer or leave it.” The Chairman «aid they no doubt all had much to thank the firm of Dottridge and Co. for (applause*. ll* had indirectly helped them all, and he believed had Mr Conk met settlers face to face and explained the position that the business bad changed hands at •< that they must have belter safe guards they would no doubt loag before this have nan to some settle iiiant, but Mr Cook had made that inn possible by standing aloof, and through his agent saying take it or leave it. Mr Croad said he had heard that they had Mid that be wanted to ISSVS the Dtiiry Union aud go back to Cook and Co. He might say he had never voted foi or against the Union, also that Mills' led had called eu him but that lie

had not givan any promise. In <»«' }>e was as much against this firm a. »v«r he 9Mr Eaton said tho main thing was to get e»"h othsr’s opinion. He had been giving tins thing a good deal of though When all was said and done he took it it was their place to make the .best terms they could tor themselves. A. good deal had been said imputing to Mr Hoisted, not altogether honest motives. He could h not agree with thin. Mr Hoisted was the al responsible manager for the firm at this end, and though he might know what was going on he was Cook and Co. s servant, and must do what wa. to their interest. t , Thev knew any of them would discharge (j a servant who did not do this. Surely this was no crime. To come to the point of the factory, for his part he could not afford to lose valuable tunc. Tbi» offer Mr Greville brought in seemed good, but tl of course they had absolutely nothing be- t. fore them. He might say right away he vnever was in favor of the Hairy Union He thought it a pity that they should hml the capital for men at a distance to do business for them, and they stand all the risk. Why not have a private co-opera- ‘ c live concern, but it seemed they did .lot trust eaoti other, and therefore it must fall through. On the face of all those facts which they must admit, and the long delay which must ensue no matter who took them up he would favor Cook aud s Co.’s offer. However, he would otter no ,r objection to meeting Mr Foster, who tt seemed disposed to meet settlers ball vt Mr Jolly said he would here say, and n sav it publicly, that he thought they n should at least look well before they did o anything. Surely they would not be so tr blind as to rush headlong to the Dairy a] Farmers’ Union to tie themselves. This otter of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile seemed a very fair one as far as they could judge. If they eould come to terms with these people and speedily erect a factory he would say, I’m there ; but the ehanees wore three months (the best part of the season) weuld be lost, and he thought thia was a serious item. p Mr Foster said he had met Mr Hoisted, and he for one would not join the old eoncern. q Mr Marriott thought that after all that had passed he who went back would be & ■o man. g , Mr Eaton : Speak for yourself, Mr . j Marriott. j, The Chairman said he thought the proposal of Mr Hoisted to some of the settiers was unfair, and should not be entert&ined by any of them to whom it had been made. They must stand and fall j

J J [>gether. Finally, after further discussion, Mr ■road moved and Mr Holdaway, jnr.. econded, That Mr Foster be invited to jj aeet the settlers at Ballanse on Friday light next, Mr Greville saying the meetag could be arranged. Mr Eaton hoped that after all that had een said and done they would, after iearing Mr Foster, settle once for all rhieh of the three courses now open to q hern they would pursue (Applause). j Mr Marriott said his interest was as reat as anyone's, and as things now " tood he would not supply one gallon cf oilk to Cook and Co. Mr Kippenberger said much had been nade of unfair treatment, etc., though Mr JeCardle when suggesting the gentlemen rho were to act on the committee hail ,lso said that they should meet Mr Cook j ,nd try to como to some settlement. This tad been cried down by the meeting. He bought under the circumstances Mr Cook ould not come to them. He suggested hat after Mr Foster lmd beeu met they hould, if net satisfied, try and arrange a nesting with Mr Cook, and see where the t infair treatment lay. \ The Chairman said they were not done vith the Dairy Union yet, and had ample ime to make all these arrangements as 1 cell as get their share list signed before * he lltli inst. t After a hearty vote of thanks to Mr >reville and the usual compliment to the b hair the meeting adjourned till Friday light. c Ballancb, September 7. A meeting of settlers was held here to- * light to meet Mr Foster, manager of the c Sew Zealand Loan and Mercantile, who a lad a scheme to put before suppliers for lie purpose of opening a factory in the listrist. Mr Eddie was voted to the chair. Mr Foster said he was pleased to come iinongs the tsettlers. The scheme he had to out before them was not altogether a new me. Roughly th-t scheme was this : The Sew Zealand Loan und Mercantile found ; ill the money to thoroughly equip and build a factory and charged 8 per cent j t for tho loan. They held the property as ■ , security aud entered into agreements for . five vears with suppliers. They (the com- j 1 pany) would advance J3rd per gallon on | 1 milk, equal to a test at the end of the i ( season. Should there be a profit this | ] would be equally divided amongst sup j pliers pro rata ;on the other hand should ( there be a loss suppliers would have to refund. The commission charged would be the current commission. W bat the company aimed at was a volume of business, and the commission was all they looked 1 to. As to working the concern lie knew j nothing about butter or cheese either. Suppliers would appoint a small body of . directors from amongst themselves, who would act in conjunction with the manager | of the factory. He as representative of ■ the company would finance the concern and place their produce on the world's j market. The agreement provided for the i the cleanliness of the milk, ceding, and purity, also testing, and if a supplier wilfully broke tho conditions likely to injure the manufacture of good butter, the agreement empowered the manager to expel said supplier. Discussion here took place and the j agreement was agreed to. Mr Foster said they would let them [ have the money at 7-1 per cent. After considerable discussion it wa* unanimously agreed to accept terms a proposed bv Mr Foster, the gallon to be . 101 lbs. ! Mr Croad strongly recommended Mr Palmer a* manager, and Mr Foster accepted the recommendation The agreements were then signed by all suppliers. At this stage the local ; Board of management was fixed at three j members: —Messrs Eddie <idi. I ait (1 ft), McCardle (1.7), wore declared duly elected. Mr Tail said he had too much to do, and i | thought Mr Marriott would be a. marc 1 suitable man for the position. Ho would i 1 retire in favour of Mr Marriott (11). j i Agreed to. | A vote of thanks was passed to Mr (hreville for the trouble he had taken, also n vote of thanks to the chair. : The meeting then closed. " ~ This Day. i The lorsl directors for the now butt- r i factory at Ballance have purchased a ~itc 1 from ‘Mr Holdaway. ' learing will be I put in hand at onoe. The piles will bo I on the ground by F riday next.