PHENOMENAL PROGRESS

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1934, Page 15 (Supplement)

PHENOMENAL PROGRESS

MR. C. A. WILKINSON LOOKS BACK. FUTURE PROSPECTS. HOPEFUL. /“The rise of our great dairying industry has been nothing short of phenom-' enal, and all within the life-time of many who have yet to reach the psalmist’s span of life. I do not mean that cows were not milked in New Zealand, or butter not made before this time, but-the industry was not fairly launched until, the middle eighties, when it was tackled in earnest with the factory system, which became essential because the old methods of collecting butter from individual fanners and blending it into one or more qualities, was not proving successful, and only occasionally a shortage of butter in Australia would cause a brisk and profitable demand for what we had to sell. Butter was also sent to England, and the prices realised were about 45s to 50s per cwt. No bank at that period would make an advance on a shipment, and any advances obtained were from wholesale merchant firms.

“Strangely enough one of the first (if not absolutely the first) successful butter factories on commercial lines, with the then up-to-date Swedish separator driven by power, was erected, owned and controlled by a man from the Celestial Empire. I well remember the astonishment of New Zealand, when this factory won the Jubilee Cup at the Dunedin Exhibition in 1887, for the finest butter produced. The manager of the factory was Mr. Sidney Morris, who afterwards became manager of the large Auckland concern. After this, more factories were built by private owners, the Crown Dairy Company being very active in this province. They had their ups and downs, but nothing stopped the progress of the industry.

“Very shortly after this came the cooperative factory movement, these

modestly begun ventures being uniformly successful, and for 40 years they have stood the stem test of ability to carry on, and at the moment the cooperative factory system seems to stand supreme in the dairy field. “Taranaki is a small province among the provinces, but it is an important one in at least some respects. It is the great cheese-making province of the Dominion. Taranaki manufactures more cheese than eight other provinces combined, ; Auckland alone being omitted from the com- ’ parison, and as against the very large province of Auckland, Taranaki manufactures about twice as much cheese. Auckland, however, is a tremendous producer of a kindred line —butter. These particulars show clearly our chief v and most important industry. “The magnitude of the dairy business can be gauged by the fact that Tara-; naki’s production is valued at £3,000,000 per annum. To-day, this great industry, on which so many , depend, is facing a crisis the result : of which may affect not only farmers, but the whole. community. I am optimistic enough to think that with the full co-operation of the Government and the industry, all will yet be well. C. A. WILKINSON. .