WAIKATO CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY COMPANY.

Waipa Post, Volume V, Issue 217, 2 June 1913, Page 3

WAIKATO CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY COMPANY.

*&• Last Tuesday Mr Wm. Goodfellow, managing director of the Waikato Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., met the settlers of the outlying settlements of Ranginui, Maihiihii, and Rangiatea at the various convenient points. He was able to give much interesting information regarding the up-to-date scientific working of his company, which confined itsell solely to the handling of homeseparated cream, and which was now the second largest dairying concern in the Dominion. Under the expert direction of Mr A. G. Shirley the volume of butter handled in the two factories during the past season was 55 per cent in advance of that dealt with during the previous one. Perhaps the most convincing proof of the quality of their butter —made from properly-heated home-separated cream —lay in the fact that the whole of the butter exported (some 30,000 boxes) was first grade, and in the hands of the Government graders reached the gratifying average of 91JA points. Mr Goodfellow pointed out that the suppliers’ interest vvere always carefully watched, and as the conToany was registered under the Dairy

Industry Act all profits had to be paid to the suppliers. The ac-

cusation that the company was not really co-operative was there-

fore false. Cream was received from shareholders and non-share-holders at the same price. In' reply to . questions,, the speaker showed that statements published recently regarding the cutting of prices on the local

market could not refer .to the

Waikato Co-operative Dairy Co.,

so suppliers need pay no attention to such statements. During the year a number of suppliers had transferred their supply to

anothei 1 company, but of this number several had signified their intention of returning next

season. This spoke well for the management of his company.

The outlook for next season was

most promising, the prospective increase being the greatest since the inauguration of the company

some years ago. During recent years dairy machinery has been much improved. The methods

of twenty years back were no longer profitable. The settler in the backblocks, by means of his separator, found the means of obtaining a speedy and satisfactory

return from land otherwise slow

in producing revenue. With the increasing supply of cream, brought forward in small quantities of varying degrees of ripeness, there had arisen a demand

for minute attention to scientific

detail in order to secure that unijormity so necessary in the

production of first class butter

One mistake fry an imperfectlytrained man might cost the suppliers hundreds of pounds. Men

of the very highest qualifications have therefore to be employed. Those men and women who had

the pluck to face a life in the backblocks should not be ‘penalised by parsimonious directors who endeavoured to reduce working expenses without regard to the ultimate result.