ON STRONG FOUNDATION

Taranaki Daily News, 24 February 1932, Page 11

ON STRONG FOUNDATION

HAWERA AND DAIRY INDUSTRY WONDERFUL RECORD OF EXPORTS , Notable advance of 1 research V.v. ?:/’A-;' - . 1 — ■ ■- ! It is upon the town’s importance as the commercial and administrative centre of an influential group of dairy companies that Hawera'has been built. As the site of the first co-operative laboratory in New Zealand, the headquarters of the Taranaki Dairy Federation, the most influential organisation in the New Zealand cheese producing world, and as, the banking centre of the three largest dairy companies in Taranaki the town has a solid foundation, on which succeeding generations have built well. Even, in the low value year of 1930-31 well over £1,000,000 worth of dairy produce came from the district which looks to Hawera as its centre. Favoured by rich soil and a bountiful rainfall and assisted by a ' large measure of co-operation, this district has become one of the richest in dairy products in the world. Hawera has been termed the cheese capital of New Zealand.

COMPANIES OF DISTRICT

cheese factories have found this centralised scheme more profitable than the manufacture of small quantities of butter. Next in point of age to Normanby as a co-operative company in the vicinity of Hawera is the Meremere Company, which commenced operations in 1894, a year before the Hawera concern became co-opera-tive. Mells was another of the early ones, being formed in 1898. In 1909 Ararata came into being, producing 106 tons of cheese in the first season. In 1912 Mr. J. R. Curie’s proprietary factory at Meremere was acquired by the settlers, who incorporated themselves as the Melrose Company. The only other cooperative company with its office in Hawera is Whakamara, which was formed in 1928, using the factory that was formerly a branch of the Mells Company. Data on the early history of. the companies in the eastern districts is exceedingly scarce. As well as the seven co-pperative companies with offices in Hawera there is the factory and office of the Waimate Plains Company, the only proprietary company left in Taranaki. This was formed in 1924 and made 94 tons of butter in the first season. It is estimated that the output for this year will be 280 tons. FEDERATION’S INFLUENCE EIGHT YEARS OF EXISTENCE. VALUABLE HELP TO INDUSTRY' A development frought with the utmost importance to the dairy industry and with effects greater than can be realised yet was the holding of a meeting in Hawera nearly eight years ago. Out of that meeting grew the Federation of Taranaki Dahy Companies, with its no less important offspring, the laboratory. The federation speaks for more than a third of New Zealand’s cheese producers.

TEN TRADING THROUGH HAWERA.

ONE-THIRD OF TARANAKI’S CHEESE.

Trading through Hawera banks are ten co-operative dairy companies, including the three largest in Taranaki, and these concerns handled well over £1,000,000 worth of produce last year, paying out nearly that amount to suppliers, while other large sums were expended on factory labour and requisites, a large proportion of which are supplied locally. The fact that these companies, representing one-third of all cheese produced in the province as well as over 1000 tons of butter, look to Hawera as their financial centre shows the importance of the town. In addition there is a large proprietary concern, with ramifications all over Taranaki, which makes a large quantity of butter. ‘ Seven co-operative companies actually have their offices in Hawera. The largest of these is, of course, the Hawera company, one of the big three, while the others all cater for important districts. For the year 1929-30 these companies paid out to suppliers over half a million sterling and last year, with prices at a record low level, distributions totalled nearly £400,000. Over 1000 tons of butter and 4500 tons of cheese were made by these factories last year. In the following summary of last year’s production among this group the figures for the amounts distributed are only approximate, having been calculated! on conservative and uniform values for butter and cheese:—•. Tons. £

At that meeting the Mells, Eltham, Tirimoana, Normanby, Meremere, Melrose, Kakaramea, Alton, Ararata, Joll, Mangatoki and Hawera companies were represented. Mr. J. R. Corrigan/ then member of Parliament for Patea, explained the project of forming a federation of co-operative dairy companies in South Taranaki in order to enable them to put their business on a properly organised basis to successfully combat the inroads being made by proprietary companies and generally to deal with matters arising from time to time in connection with the industry. A resolution supporting the project was carried and Messrs. Corrigan, T. A.- Winks, J. B. Murdoch, G. H. Buckeridge, A. Lees,-G. Duncan and J. J. Salmon -were appointed to gather information for a further meeting. \ . On July 21 the inaugural meeting was held. In addition to the 12 companies represented 'at the first meeting directors of the following companies were present:— Awatuna, Kaupokonui, Manutahi, Pihama, Riverdale and Stratford. Other business transacted at that meeting was a resolution opposing any alteration in grading points. The executive was elected at the next meeting, the following being, chosen: — Messrs. Corrigan, Murdoch, Winks, A. C. Pease, F. Parsons, Forsyth and Collins. Mr. Winks was subsequently elected chairman, an office he has held ever since.

COMPANIES ROUND HAWERA FIRST FACTORY 50 YEARS AGO. NORMANBY FIRST CO-OPERATIVE. It would appear that Hawera has been well in the van of the dairy industry as the first factory established in this district dates back 50 years. The earliest record of a dairy factory in New Zealand is a statement that there was one on . the Otago Peninsula in 1876. The first near Hawera was opened at Whareroa by Messrs. Iredale Brothers as far back as 1882. The factory was. a private one and cheese was manufactured from the milk of 80 cows.. , The first factory in the Hawera district which served other than its owners was a i proprietary concern at Normanby, which was functioning in 1885. It is recorded that the first day’s supply was only 67 gallons. A new company was formed on a co-operative basis in 1894 and exported nearly 25 tons of butter in the first season. There were 15 suppliers in that year. Mr. .Pierard’s factory was leased pending the erection of a new building in 1895. Normanby was the first co-operative company in the environs of Hawera. To-day it is one of the largest cheese producing factor- ' ies in South Taranaki, having an output of nearly 1000 tons. There are now 76 suppliers. The need for a dairy company in Hawera became increasingly/felt during the rapid development of the industry in South Tara- ' naki. In 1893 a proprietary concern was established, Mr. B. C. Robbins, a former Mayor of Hawera, taking a prominent part in its. formation. Two years later the company was re-organised on a co-operative basis. ■ In 1897 the value of the company’s output was only £1521. It has now five large cheese factories within a radius ofssix miles of Hawera and a butter factory, the largest in South Taranaki. The annual cutout is approximately 2500 tons of cheese and 600 tons of butter. The output and the number of.suppliers for each of the cheese factories are:— Tons. Suppliers. Glover Road 609 72 Tawhiti j 1557 5.3 Fraser Road 320 21 Whareroa 550 48 Tokaora 420 27 The cream supply for butter is drawn from surrounding districts that are not producing milk for cheese as far south as VVavcrley. The company receives whey cream from cheese factories, and in the off •eason cream separated prior to the comSiencement of cheese-making. Smaller

The new body did not waste any time in getting to work. On September 1 Mr. W. M. Singleton, Director of the Dairy Division, addressed a representative Taranaki dairy conference, sponsored by the federation, on the proposed alteration in grading points. The meeting carried resolutions in favour of the proposal.

The need for research was soon recognised by the federation and as early as four months after its formation the minutes record that the executive had taken steps to secure Government aid for the formation of a laboratory. Incidentally it is interesting to note that at the same meeting a resolution stating the opinion that exporters were at a disadvantage in the matter of exchange, which was in favour of importers, was carried.

Two other important matters also occupied the federation. One was co-operation with the National Dairy Association in the compilation of model articles of association

Cheese. Butter. Distd. ’Ararata • • • • . 252 • — ■ 14,360 Hawera ,••••' .. 2092 907 220,850 Mells . 318 20 20,360 Melrose ...... . 281 ••— 1 16,020 Meremere .. ■ . 367 4 21,368 Normapby .. . 983 80 65,000 Whakamara • . 235 — 13,400 Totals -• . 4738} 1011 371,358 Tn addition to the seven companies with offices in Hawera there are three others lhat bank there. These are Kaupokonui and Joll, the two biggest ; Taranaki conr.erns, and Riverdale, ' one of the principal cheese companies. The corresponding statistics in their cate are:— Kaupokonui . •Toll / . 3513} 324} 236,590 . 3918} 91} 233.645 Riverdale •. . 1029 63} 65,690 Totals . • . 8461 479} 535,925