BUTTER FACTORY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13802, 13 January 1909, Page 7

BUTTER FACTORY.

A NEW INDUSTRY

A new and very enterprising industrial' hrm started operations in Timaru about a fortnight ago, this being the Timaru Dairy Company. The company consists .of throe men, Mr F. S. Norrie, who had had eight years' experience with the Central Dairy Company of Christchurch, aud who is a first-class butter maker, being the managing partner, wliile the other two partners are also practical men. The company has Started business in a brick building in Stafford street south. This building has been specially fitted up for them, floor concreted, walls whitewashed, a'nd a boiler house orected at the rear. It is fitted with some of the latest and most approved butter-making machinery, all of which runs smoothly and well, and the finished article, the company's "Snowflake " butter, is first-class. The machinery, which was erected by U. Johnson and Sons, of Christchurch, includes a 400-gallon . direct expansion cream vat, into which the cream is put on delivery, and is afterwards cooled by a Hall refrigerator, the cream being weighed and sampled before being put into the vat, and the cans washed and returned to the farmers. Then there is a very fine machine in the shape of a "Success" combined churn and butter worker, by which the churning and tbe working are done at one operation, thus saving time and labour, and doing away with the necessity for handling. This is a Canadian invention, and it will deal with 5001bs at a time. Another very useful little machine is seen' in one which is used for making the butter into lbs, this being the "Cherry" but- | ter mill, a neatly arranged and easily ! manipulated set of wire cutters, [ dividing the butter off into lbs (it cuts eight at a time) as it comes through the mill in its finished form. The machinery is driven by a powerful little engine, the boiler, one of the Marshal type, being of 10 h.p. Already the company has met with very gratifying success. Liberal supplies of cream come to hand regularly (the company deals exclusively with home separated cream, thereby saving the expense of creameries), supplies being drawn from as far north as Hinds, and from Hook on the south. The company claims to pay the highest price for butter fat, and disposes of all its butter locally, Mr Norrie stating that the local grocers were supporting his company well. Farmers have the option of taking their cream to the factory, or of delivering it at the nearest railway station, the company paying all freigbt charges. It is certainly good butter that is turned out of the factory, and the company will doubtless receive that support which it deserves.