Featherston Dairy Company.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2049, 30 March 1887, Page 2

Featherston Dairy Company.

A large and influential meeting of settlers, representing fcho Featherston, Kaiwaiwai, Heifer Station and Kabautara districts was held at the Town Board office, on Monday, at the invitation of Mr Coleman Phillips, to consider the advisability of establishing a factory, for the manufacture of butter and cheese. Mr Phillips was voted to the chair, and in addressing the meeting said, There was a feeling as to whether the proposed Factory should be for cheese, or butter, or both combined. He was now of opinion we had too much cheese, and as the De Laval Separators had been proved to do good work, it would be better to have a Butter Factory. He quoted from a Tasmanian paper, as to the working of factories in New South Wales and that a Separator would put through almut 300 gallons of milk per hour. The matter of bacon could be gone into lator. He produced designs and details of a 200 Cow Factory, and thought £BOO would be sufficient to start with and that the nominal capital should be £2OOO. Mr Phillips remarked upou the immense advantage it would be to the district generally. He had read that it was now a recognised fact in England, America and the Continent that the factory system mud be the system. He did not think any individual producer would be able to compete with a factory iu the general market, and the only way to make a superior article was to make it of one quality. Mr M. J. H. Jackson was very glad that the Chairman had again called the attention of the settlers to the necessity of a factory. He was satisfied that the day of small butter makers depending upon an outlet was at an end. It was impossible for the storekeepers to make up small quantities of different qualities into large and make a good article. For a long time the Wairarapa butter had ruled the market in Wellington, but recently it had not done so. He was strongly in favor of the factory system, but thought it would behest first to form a committee to ascertain which would be most remunerative.

Mr A. Wilkinson spoke in favor of the company and detailed his experience in connection with the supply in Wellington and the system of shipping butter home. He thought it should be a Butter, Cheese and Bacon Factory and that the Factory should be worked throughout the year. Mr Bunny suggested a Committee should be formed to go info derails as ro cost cf plant, probable sire, &c., and report to » meeting to Oe held later.

Mr Buchanan said that considering the time required in obtaining plant, £c.,and getting ready to work by, say the Ist of September next, it was highly desirable that a resolution be adopted at this meeting. The matter of detail must naturally come. The first consideration was, Have we a market for our produce f He thought Tes! England consumed about 12,000,000 pounds of butter per month, and America supplied most of that. He thought Featherston one of the best districts in New Zealand for dairy farming. He produced an estimate of cost for a 1000 gallon cheese factory, and thought the addition of a butter plant would not be a serious item, and thought the project deserved the heartiest support of the settlers of the district. After further discussion as to the objects of the factory, &c., it was resolved that a company be formed to be called the Featherston Dairy Co. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Wilkinson, that the company be a Butter and Cheese Manufacturing Company combined. Mr Jackson’s amendment, that a committee be first appointed being lost,

It was resolved that the company be formed under the Companies Act, 1882; that the capital be £2OOO, in 400 shares of £5 each, payable 20s on application, 20s on allotment and the balance by calls of £1 each at intervals of three months.

Messrs Jackson, Jno Cundy, A Wilkinson, T Benton, jun., W 0 Williams, Yicary, Goodetick, Phillips, and Buchanan, were appointed a committee, to make enquiries as to site, &c., and report at a meeting to be held on Monday, llth April, at 2 p.m.

Mr Bock was appointed secretary, pro tem, and the meeting adjourned.