FACTORY ECONOMICS

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1934, Page 19 (Supplement)

FACTORY ECONOMICS

PROPRIETARY EFFORTS SUCCEED. CO-OPERATION PARAMOUNT LATER. When dairy manufacture had begun to leave the farm for the factory economic difficulties nearly strangled the new movement. One or two tentative cooperative factories failed, even the few proprietary ones were only struggling, and it became evident that resources in regard to finance, shipping and marketing were necessary to successful factory management as well as the regular supply of raw material. There were some men in Taranaki who envisaged the great future of the industry. At New Plymouth Mr. Richard Cock, and the late Messrs. Newton King and J. C. George founded the Crown Dairy Company, and set themselves to develop the industry. The company built factories, assisted settlers in improving and stocking their farms, found 1 markets for New Zealand dairy products and firmly established the factory system of manufacture. In another part of the province the late Mr. Chew Chong did similar work and for a time it seemed as though proprietary factories would be the principal manufacturing centres. But though the early community efforts were not altogether successful the leaven of co-operation continued to work in the minds of the settlers. As settlement advanced and supplies increased co-operative companies were mooted and were successfully established. Soon they were able to take over the proprietary concerns and for more than a generation they have dominated the industry. Mistakes have been made but co-operation proved strong enough to overcome the difficulties, and to-day is accepted as the foundation of the Dominion’s most important industry.