BUTTER FACTORY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8066, 15 December 1892, Page 2

BUTTER FACTORY.

A meeting of settlera interested in the formation ol a butter factory in this district was held at tho Borough Council Chamber! yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Mr Jan.es Laird occupied the chair, and we noticed present : — Messrs G. (3. Robertson, O. B. P. Pyemont, A. McNeill, R> Sharpe, Morgan, P. Lundon, Orawley, Buasell, J. Wilkie, Cox, B. Hair, Fletcher, A. Laird, Hunter, Dempsey, Bowler, Watson, Mullins, H. Sarjeant, A. Higgle, and others.

Mr Darling said this was rather ont of his line, as his business was a ship broker, but in that cenncction had come into contact with shippers of produce in reference to remedying come grievances. In moving about amongst these farmers he found a very strong desire to organise the dairy industry on the lines recommended by Mr Sawyers, whose report had been fieoly distributed by the Government, and ho did not think ho could do bettor than read a few extracts. Mr Sawors, in his report, nay?, "Iho chief ompluint among the London brokers is the absonce of uniformity, and this cannot be easily romedicd whilst tljors is such an ox ■ tensive system of privatu dairies throughout thecolouy. There cannot be uniformity wilnout theestablishmentof llin fiotory systorn." Other oxtraots.were read by Mr Darling, and also some remarks made by Mr Cameron, of Wellington,of terhia returnf rom England, and an inspection of factories there. '1 he market would not be limited to London, but to the " World's " market. It was proposed to citablioh a company with a nominal capitul of £100,000 in 40,000 shares of iiJ 10s each. £20,000 would be allotted and £20,000 for future allotment. For the first £20,000 5s per share would be payable on application, 5s on allotment, and the remainder by calls of 5s at intervals of three months until 303 has been paid. Tho remaining 20s will not be called up until after the first annual general meeting and then only if required. It would be necessary, if tho produce was to be placed on foreign markets, auch as Hong Song or aingapore for instance, to work on a large scale and for that purpose the district! of

Wellington and Taranaki should be amalgamated in an Anociation, or the orders would never bo fufilled. The facilities for working ths industry in this country are are marvellous, and far greater than the Danes possess, who for five months in the year have to specially feed their cows, and he (Mr Darling) said a few Danes might be brought out to spocially supeiviie the packing. The cost of production was an important point, and an English farmer in New Plymouth, who has been out in N.Z. only two years, had told him the price of a cow in Englaud was £1&, in New Z<rai land £5. Tho cost of keepiug a oow tn 1 !<nglaud itui £15 at least a rear, and in Ne<r Zealand £6, so that tteie are the 1 initial points. In Manawatu the people I had taken the matter up spiritedly, and he (Mr Darling) had attended a dozen meeting* 1 there lately. It was impossible to make I nearly as much by sheep-farming or beefgrowing as by butter-production. In Canterbury the farmers are competing against the world in wheat-growing and were not able to hold their own in consequence of other countries being more ftvorabU, and the same prinoiplo applies to other countries competing against this— -being, to excellently ciroumstancod— in butter production. In reference to the milk, H was proposed to give the seller 8d per gallon right out, payable monthly, and to give him' back all skim milk, worth Id pgr gallon for rearing oalvei, etc. In addition, anything over 3d would be divided botween the man supplying the milk and the a'ltdoiation, so at the end of the Tear if the Asso* ciation found that the » milk was worth Bd the supplier would get Another penny and the Association the other. Also, the producer would be entitled to » boout according to the amount of milk he had supplied. As to the work* ing of the factories, Mr Darling read Mr Mr Sawer'a rules, whioh are generally adopted where factories have been ntsb> lUhed. The Association coald at once be. started by Wellington • capital, bat it Wat proposed to admit only hona fide fatmtn •,» shareholders, who would appoint a director or directors from each iepar»ts district to sit on the General Board.

Iv answer to Mr H. Sarjeant, Mr Darling said it was proposed to establish, factories at the various central point*, as for initanoe, at Palmerston North, Marton, Wanganui,' Hawera, etc Eaoh factory would be fed by, perhaps, a dozen oreameries, with a radius of about five milei each. The railway offered enormous facilities, and a factory may hare a radius of 50 miles. The owt of railing butter wa» Id for lOlbi fronr Palmerston to Wellington, Id for 81bj from Wanganui, and Id for 41bs from Wajtara, If, however, it was found more practical to ship direct from, say, thii port or Waitara, the directon would doubtless do ao. <

Messrs Robert Hair, J.imee Murray, and A. Higgie wore then appointed delegates' from the meeting to meet the other delegates' on the coast to get all .the information in their power in connection with the proposed Asiooiatiou, and to forward th« movement.

This concluded the business, and the meeting adjourned.