THE CAMBRIDGE DAIRY FACTORY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1217, 27 January 1886, Page 3

THE CAMBRIDGE DAIRY FACTORY.

In view of the meeting of the Waitahuua Farmers' Club to be held next Saturday evening to discuss the desirability of establishing a dairy factory in that district, the following extract from the Cambridge " .News," relating to a meeting of the Cambridge Dairy Factory held recently, will no doubt be read with interest:—'' As we stated in a previous issue, the quantity of milk supplied to the factoiy between October 26th (when the season began) and December 31st, the period for which the accounts are made up, wus 27,645 gallons. Through the courtesy of tbe Secretary of the Company, we are now enabled lo give further particulars. The above quantity was sent to the factory by 31 suppliers. The amount which will be paid 'o milk suppliers on the Company's next pay day is £400 2s 3d, giving an average" of about £13 to each supplier for about nine weeks' milking. Two or three suppliers who started late in the season receive only small sums, the smallest to be paid being £2" 10s 9d for 174 gallons. Most of the amounts range from £8 to £15, whilst Mrs Hannon is the top scoter, having sent 1600 gallons to the factory for the nine week?, for which she receives the handsome sum of £23 6? Bd. Messrs James Taylor, T. Browne (of Bushy Park), and W. Russell also, each receive over £20. It is thus evident that some £200 a month is just now being distributed amongst the farmers about Cambridge through the Dairy Company j and in these dulf times, when the values of stock aud farm produce have fallen below the possibilities of giving the farmers anything like profitable return, it is cheering to see an industry like the dairy factory circulating ready mouov amongst the farmer, and also encouraging the breeding of first-class dairy stack, by making an opening for them., We may state that every provision is made for the testing of the quality of the milk supplied to the factory. The directors have purchased a large quantity of test glasses, so that at oertaia times, of which no information whatever is given to the suppliers, a sample of every lot of milk brought in is tested. Sometimes the morning milk is tested, at others samples of the evening supply is put through the glasses. The tests made this season show that the milk supplied gives from 6*56 per cent to 14 J per ccat of cream. The price pai<J by the

Company at present is 3Jd per gallon of lOJ bs. Probably it will be found necessary as timo goes on to adopt a system already in vogue in o;hor places— viz. , ti pay according to the quality of the milk rather than the quantity. When this is done, and common sense points to that as the best course, and the most business-like for the Company, the farmers will fini it to their interest to breed a better cluss of stook than the average milkers now in Waikato."