TE AWAMUTU DAIRYING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 65, Issue 5502, 24 July 1942, Page 3

TE AWAMUTU DAIRYING

COMPANY’S ANNUAL MEETING CHANGE-OVER FROM CHEESE DISCUSSED There was a large attendance of shareholders at the annual meeting of the Te Awamutu Co-operatiev Dairy Company held in the Town Hall on Wednesday and presided over by the Chairman of Directors (Mr E. H. Rhodes). Other directors present were Messrs G. Spinley, G. E. Churches, Hamilton Allen, C. S. Alexander, H. Croasdale and the Native advisory director, Mr Umu McLean. EARLIER MEETING The chairman recalled that at the Company’s previous three meetings there had been requests for the fixing of an earlier date for meetings due to the farmers’ busy period. Certain unalterable conditions, he said, made an earlier meeting almost impossible, but this year, due to a special effort on behalf of the staff. It had been made possible to hold the meeting on the 22nd July, which constituted a record. After completing the statement of accounts and the usual routine work, the staff had gone over every suppliers account, adding the bonus and deferred payments, thus enabling cheques to be made available at the meeting . (Applause). After the secretary-manager (Mr A. J. Sinclair) had explained the bal-ance-sheet and associated matters, the directors’ annual report and statement of accounts was approved by the meeting on the motion of the chairman and Mr J. Ellis. It was stated that commencing next week cream would be collected on j Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Suppliers were also asked to provide boxes for their butter as ’ henceforth. The difficult paper situ- ' ation would not permit the use of wrappers. CHANGE-OVER TO CHEESE In explaining the compensation to be paid to farmers who had been put to large expense through the changeover from butter to cheese, Mr Sinclair said that in negotiating with the Government the Dairy Industry Council had divided cheese suppliers into those who had* changed over some 18 months ago and those who had supplied cheese factories for only part of the season just ended. It was doubtful, he said, whether the latter section would receive a larger pay-out than the butter suppliers. They had supplied only at the tail-end of the season, and for that reason should get a payment of twopence. For others,

lid per lb. was advocated. Eventually the Government had agreed to an all-round payment of lid. Money was being paid by the Government, which in turn hoped to be reimbursed by the British Government. So far there was no definite advice as to when the payment would be made. In the case of those groups considered to be en- ! titled to a payment of 2d, the matter would be finalised when balance-sheets were made available. The Government, concluded the speaker, might allow up to 2d. Several questions were asked regarding the date of the change back to cream supply, and it was pointed out that some farmers were already supplying butter factories again. TRADING DEPARTMENT In answer to an enquiry concerning the establishment of a trading department of the company, Mr Sinclair said that the suggestion had often been mooted, but it had always been agreed that it was best for the company to concentrate on its own job, the production of a first grade butter. In some places trading departments had resulted in friction between dairy companies and private firms, and the local directors were of the opinion that only bulk lines should be handled and that all possible money should be made from goods that the company did not have to stock. CONGRATULATIONS In congratulating Messrs G. Spinley and C. S. Alexander on their re-elec-tion (unopposed) to the Board of Directors, the chairman said that Mr Spinley and Mr Churches were the only two remaining members of the 1925 provisional directorate, while Mr Alexander’s connection with the company was that his father had been the first chairman of directors. Mr G. 0. Jourdain was re-elected auditor, an amendment favouring the , calling for tenders for the position being defeated. ' The honorariums of the chairman and directors was fixed the same as ; last year. | A vote of thanks to the factory and office staffs was carried by acclamation. Returning thanks, Mr Sinclair remarked that in a recent letter his son, a former employee of the company and now a prisoner of war in Germany, had said that he often thought with painful longings of the tonsQand tons of butter being produced at the factory, wishing that some of it could be made available in Stalag. Other staff members, said Mr Sinclair, had returned from overseas, some, unfortunately, badly wounded, but all were assured of their former positions with the company. (Applause). The chairman thanked suppliers for their attendance, remarking that it was indeed gratifying to see them taking such a keen interest in the affairs of their own company, and the meeting closed.