MILKING BY HAND

Waipa Post, Volume 42, Issue 3303, 30 May 1931, Page 4

MILKING BY HAND

FARMERS SEEKING TO SAVE POWER. An assurance that it was not worth while for farmers to disconnect their milking motors during the winter months with the idea of avoiding some of the horse-power charge, was given by the engineer to the Thames Valley Power Board, Mr N. G. McLeod, at last Tuesday's meeting of the board.

Mr F. E. Flatt (Paeroa) mentioned that many farmers were disconnecting their milking plants and milking by hand at present. These farmers were willing to suffer the inconvenience of milking by hand in order to economise. They were substituting their labour for power. He feared some of these people would not connect again, or would only do so when forced by the number of cows to be milked in the spring. They would milk by hand as long as possible.

The engineer said many farmers appeared to think that if they disconnected for three months they would get a quarter's reduction. However, they had to be disconnected for the Government's quarter, which meant from January 1 to March 1, and from March 1 to June 1, and so on. < Not many farmers wished to be disconnected for these periods. He quoted figures to show that after paying 10s fee to be connected up again they would not be saving enough to compensate for the inconvenience of having no power in their sheds. In addition to having to milk by hand, they would be unable to use their waterheaters or saw up wood.