PROPOSED DAIRY FACTORY.

Colonist, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8300, 15 July 1895, Page 2

PROPOSED DAIRY FACTORY.

TnGßrc was a fir attendance of shareholders it the meeting held at tho Richmond Fira Bng.de Hal on Saturday evening. Mr Taibot preaictl. The minatoo were read ar d oonfil'medi Correepond nae was read. Messrs Bisley Bros & Co. wrote offering to supply quotitions for Alexandria sepetators. Mr Graham; M;H.«., wroie, enquiring what progress had been made towailsforcrinfj the Company. He etated the Hon. J. W. Ba'nicoat, M.L.0., would take twenty shares, acd supply milk from six to ten cows. Mr Walter Th rr<e wrot\ tta'ing th,t, at a meeting held at JDovedale, the mi'k of il7 cows had be m promised, a r d 05 fharea applied fo-. He stated (hat both were like y to be increased, and that another meeting of the settlers was to bo held on the evening of •he 15(h of July, a id asked if one of the Provision il Direcio.s oould attend on that occasion. Ihe Chairman atked how many cows bad been guatan'.eed, and shares applied for ? Mr Glen scid 709 shares had been applied for, and the milk of 301 cows promised, which included tho eoxs at 88 Valley, but not those at Dovedole. Mr May said that through the severe illness of Mr Joseph £est, they had not been out to make a fmther canvass. Mr J. Bh&rp, junior, said, adding the abates applied for at Dovedale, the shares Messrs Best w.u'd take up, and another 100 that conld be placed in town, th<-y would want 250 more, and they should app'y themselves to get that number. He thought they had gona the wrong way to work to promote the factory, and that they should have held meetings in the different centres of popula* tion throughout the Waimeas. Mr May said the badness of the times ard the scarcity of money bad to do with some not app^'ing for shares. Another thing was, the good butter makers had been remonstrate] with by tho?e who bad always taken the ; r butter, and bad never given them leas than 8d per Ib fjr it, and these settlers had been uns>ttled as to going ia for -he factory. He was afraid the Eettlers did cot nnderetand the gnaran'ee as to the sapply of milk. They looked upon the guarantee more as a moral thsa a legal obligation. If the gu raotee was not legally binding it was no use going on with the faotory for it would only land them in disaster. They must have the guarantee on a sound legal footing. He supposed they must go slowly, ahheugh the faotory ought to ba up by the end of August. I hey could not think of starting ort ameriea nntil a full supply of milk was guarart ed for the cent-al factory. Mr Aviry thought that tho question of a fiotcr? hsd not been fairly put before the f. rmsiv-i. He was very much disappointed with Mr Sawera'd leciure. The farmera had not been ehowa how ihe factory system would piy best. They needed the milk of 400 cows to suit a faotory. S*y that number of cows were distributed amoog 40 owners, and each of them manipulated the milk of ten cows, that work would take each one day per week, or a total of 40 days to manipulate tha milk of the 400 cows. The same wrk w^uld be done in the faotory in 24 days, thus effecting a Baying of equal to 1G days in time alone. Then, say each cow gave 6Jiba of butter, making in a season of e'ght months 2Jolbs per cow, and as th.re was a difference in price in favor of faoiory butter over that of ('airy of 2d par lb, the but'er of each cow would for the season if tbe manipulation was done at the faotory bring 32s mord than if done by private dairies, and foe the 400 cows a tot*l of £632. The farmers would do well to consider these points. He had not said anything about tbe profits of the fact jry, but had only shown what the 2d per lb more faotory butter meant in a ssaeon. If butter continued to be made in private dairies it me*at they were losing over £600 per annum on the ruik of 400 cows. Mr W. Oolaman thought Mr Avery had stated too long a season. Mr G. Field eaid another f ict was that milk manipulated in a .factory yielded about 24 per oeot more butter. The Chairman s*id they must have tbe supply ol milk guaranteed, their efforts were useless unless that were done. If the price of grain went up tbe farmera might think it waa better for them to grow cropß than graes, and in that case there was the danger they would not get a necessary supply of m ik, unless the guarantee was made binding. Mr Avery: If th9y would guarantee the cows they have the faotory oould start, aud if onoe started tho milk supply would iaoreise. Mr May concurred in this view. The milk of tbe cows muse belong to tbe factory for three years, and the guarantee must be of a legal character. He said shortly af;er he came Jo the district, two different pardes offered to rut up a factory, aud a guarantee for a milk supply for five years was asked, but it wag not given, so no faotory was established, They must hays the milk of 400 cows Beoured for tf«e central factory, for tha; was tbe smallest number of cow? to make i: psy. They had struck out clause 7 out cf the prospectus in order to allow tbe outsiders to come in wish their oapi.al. but the outsiders woald not do so if the supply of milk was not forthcoming. He knew of another 100 shares that would be taken as soon as the milk Buppiy was guaranteed. Mr Avery said it appeared as if the proposal for a factory had beee Biarted tco soon, end the farmers were tot ready for one. Mr Cook said taking away the cows promised in 88 Valley and Dovedale, there wera on'y 226 cows promised for ibe central factory, while 400 was realty wanted. He felt very much disappointed at the result. Mr Glen said when they received Messrs J. and P. Bests' and Bsrnicoai's guarantiees there would be 281 oows. The Cbairma , Mr May, and Mr Averv agreed with Mr Cook that theresnb was very poor indeed. Mr Cook said they would make very little oat of the creameries, for in addition to the cost cf buildings, engines, and separators, there would be about £3 per week for a man horse and cart, to bring in the cream. If they had noi a strong central factory they would soon get to leeward. They war.tel a strong central factory to sappoit the creameries. They could not erect a factory solely to depend upon creameries, but the lstte would ba feeders to a faotory. Mr G, Field thougbt it would come to it that the storekeepers would refase to take only as little bu ter as possible. Thai would help the faotory. Ihe Chairman thought they would reuse to tike any butter for export. Mr May eaid he di< not intend to export any more, an i woald take on'y as muoh as he oould sell over the counter, a After further discussion, Mr G. Field buc.gested thr.t ihf>y should get Mr Sawyers to, visi? tbe district a aio. Mr W. T. Bohd thought that it would be bet'er to get the new head expert, hailing from Canada, who appeared to h.ve had more experisLce than 53r Siwers. Me Field moved, and Mr Goleman seconded, —That the Secre ary communicate with Mr Grabam, M.H.R , informing him of tha position of & ff airs, and to ask him to try and gtt Mr MoEwan, the new head Government expert, to visit the distiict at oaoe, and to give a cc ies of leotures at the centres of population. Curiod unanimously. Mr Felix Green thonght it was not the m Ik that was the trouble, but the money. Tbe rcilk would be for booming ii the farmers saw tbe money was tbt re. Messrs Cowman, May, Avery, and Fharp thought differently, and that the money ! would soon be foctd if the needed cuppiy cf milk w .-s legally guaranteed by toe farmers. Mr Sharp moved, *nd Mr May seconded, That as soon as 1200 shares have br-en applied for, a meeting of tbe shareholders be called to dcci c whether the factory should be erected. — Carried. Several expressed their opinion that once the factory got a start with tbe milk of 400 cows it would pay well, and tbe milk supply would iocrease. Mr Avery move!, and Mr A. Harley seconded, That tbe S oretary write to Messrs Langridge & Co., of the Takaka Factory, asking thorn to supply a list of their pant, and to state the price at wh eh they would eel the s>me. Mr Cook did not think Messrs T.augridge's letter meant tbey wanted to sell, iut bat they had f mnd buttu- suoh a delicate thing to handle that they were sorry that thsy bad not gone in for the manufacture of cheese instead of butter. The motion was carried. It was agreed that the canvass for Blares and guarantees should be oontinued by the Fr jvisional Directors in the meantime.

A vote of tbanka to the Chairman brought the meeting to a clofe.