CAMBRIDGE BUTTER FACTORY

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8065, 27 November 1906, Page 2

CAMBRIDGE BUTTER FACTORY

THE WORKS DESCRIBED. GREAT SUCCESS OF CO-OPEBATION. More than a century has passed since Kobeit Owen, the man of a'mest sublime, childlike simplicity of character, and at the same time ouj of the born leaders of m- u, first proved to tho world the advantages of cj-operation in commercial entorpri-.e, Since then in my industries have been brought uader the system, some successfully; others, through carelessness or mismanagement, without that beneficial effect which was anticipated. Co-operatim in other countries beira no comparison to its rise and progress iu England. The French excel in co-operative workshops, the Germans in co-operative banks, &nd the English in the organisation of storeß- - is a peculiarity that no country has yet succeeded with all three. Ljuis Blauc, a Frenchman, in ISt'J brought forward a scheme whereby a numbjr of associations of working men wore sub«idised by the Government, but the reu.t did not realise expectations. After a longer or shorter period of struggling, every one of the associations failed; while, on the other hand, a number of co-operative associations founded by tho workin n's own oapital, as also some industrial partnerships founded on Louis Blanc's principle of distribution of profits, were successful. The co operative system has now reached huge dimensions and some of the most succsssful and piyable commodities are produced uuder it. Every dairyman knows whit co operation has done for Denmark, whose butter has a name the envy or the dairying world. Uur idea! in marketing on London is to equil the Danes, and, tnanks to the introduction of a similar system here we are now in a fair way to achieve this. Not tuauy yeard ago the New Zea'and butter producers were pursuing cross purposes, much to the detriment of all ; now, we sea the latest development in the sending to England of a joint representative to study and if possible improve the conditions under which our produce is sold. Nor is it alone iu disposal that union is in favour, but in production also. To point out other instances would be needless and of no moment, but it miy be said that the one uuder consideration—the Cambridge

00-operative Dairying Company—is one of the most suece-istul established in the colony. Muoh of this success is to be attributed to the loyally of shareholders to the concern aud to their strict observance of tne rules necessary for its management on up-to-date lines. When ,the stimulus already spoken of reached the dairy industry six years ag), the settlers in the Cambridge district considered themselves justified in keeping aloof from the companies and associations then in existence or being formed. A thorough canvass of the country resulted in the necessary capital being subscribe i, and the building next the Hautapu railway station, then being run as a cheese and bacon factory, was purchased from Messrs Watt and Hally, and an up-to-date plant was installed. Rapidly the brand, then " Hautapu, " came into public favour, and, the success of the oinpany was assured from the very start. Increased demand led to higher prioes; higher pric<3 to larger supplies, and these to additions to the plant, until to-day the factory ranks as one of the most oomplete of its size in the colony.

Perhaps the best way to give an idea of the unohiuery would be to follow the milk from its ricjipt to its manufacture and delivery as butter. Wnen tiie supplier brings hia quota in, it is received in a weighing can of 1000 bs capacity, and a sample is liken of each lot before weighing, after which the lacteal tluid is received iu 300 gallon vats, thence through a Triumph pasteuriser to kill any stray germs. The pasteurising done, the separators next take up the tale, lhere are three of these, two Alfa Lavals, of

100 gallons capacity each, and one Peifect of 500 gallons. The Perfect was installed a fortnight ago by Mr H. Upton, of Ham 1-

ton, and Mr Beange, the factory manager, speaks in high terms of the work it does. The skim muk is delivered by an Anderson pump, capable of lifting 2000 gallons an hour, to the tank placed for its reception about a chain away, where a man is stationed to weigh out and deliver to e»ch snpplier his share. Beturning to the separator, tho cream is conveyed by a Sabroe lift over a Harvey cooler, to the vats, of which there are three, one of Messrs Holben and Kirk's and the other of alessrs

MacEwan's, all of 300 gallon capacity. En paienthese, it may be mentioned that the large amount of milk now dealt with, will in all probability necessitate the obtaining

of ar other vat next year. Tie cream remains in the vat for 2-1 hour', that is, from morning to morning, (or ripening and ooling to the proper temperature for churning, for which operation aro used two wooden ohurus made by Messrs Topliss Bros.Ohristchurch, and one by Messrs Twigg and Gj, Hawora, each capable of dealing with SOU lbs of cream. Aftersalting, the butter is worked by a Perfect butier worker, which, like tie Perfect separator, is the only one of the only one of the kind in the colony. This also gives .satisfaction to tin manager, one of its features being its aileno in worK. Here then is the butter known to ojlsumers, only in large queer-snap 'd masses, in which form it is passed on trays to the chilling room, awaiting the next merning, when it is worked up aud passed i:to cubj boxes holding otllbs each, and bearing the brand "Cambridge," changed some time ago, from the original " Hautapu" On December 1, the oblong box will bo adopted, as this lends itself more readily :o s'ovedoring. A three years' contract for the supp'y of bixos has been secured b. M'-sars Ellis and Burnand, of Hamilton, who have a reputation for turning out honest workmanship and sound material. I'heu the full b>xes are s;nt to ths store room, which holds about flee tons, in contrast with the chilling room's two tons, awaiting consignment by rail, about three times a week, to Glasgow freezing works, prior to shipment to the greitest of the world's markets. About 10 tons are sent weekly to the freezing work , in to which are two distributed for local consumption, whic .quantity h -wever, is not nearly so great as it might bo wore Home prices not so good as 11 render it unprjfitable to undu'y push the commodity on the Auckland and district markets. Seventy butter boxes are used everyday, a stock of about 100J being kept always in hand in case of emergency. Reverting for a moment to the machinery the lifts, separators and churns ary driven by an 8 h.p. Tangye ei gine with two 13 h.p. boilers, which also drive the fretzer—a British Lind of 3 h.p. high pressure. The latter is steim driven, this effecting a saving in fuel and in wear aud tear, as when the freezer alone is required to be woiking, the belts and pulleys may be also stopped. The tuppliers next demand our attention, and, as mentioned before, they are ot a good class, ready and anxious to assist in maintaining the high standard of excellence attained by their produce. Thirty-six people milk for the fact Ty, Mr J as Taylor, with about 95 cows, heading th i list; Mrs Martyn, Broidmeadows, is next with lio cows; Mr Ross, of Bruntwood, occupying third place by milking something over 50 cows. Owing to tho favourable season, and the fact that the high returns induced dairymen to milk larger herds, more miik is being received now than was the case last year, when 30 suppliers sent in. Toe supplies for this season have beon: In September 1,247 ri-Mlbs milk, at an average test of 3.65, from which 52.9091b8 of buffer were made j in Ootober 2,Hf,4o3ibs milk, with a average of 3.54, 99,2471bs of butter being the outcome. For November tho average daily output of butter so far has been 3 8001bs, and the faotory record of 4,0001bs wtis recorded on the tenth, the same figure being the amount on Friday last, tho day the Wjukato Times representative paid his surprise visit. The suppliers rec-ive 9Jd per lb for butter-fat, with a possible bonus of Id at the end of the year, making K.Md, equal to, if not higher, than any paid in the colony. The factory's output was sold at the beginning of the season for 11 1-lb'd, a most si tisfactory price; last yen- a shade under lujd was obtained, "J.o3d being paid the siq - plier. As showing how the business has expanded it may be stated that for the first year of the factory's existence the output was but 01 tons, for the second

yea' 174, the f hir 1 243, the f urth 248, and lasf year 291. Tnis year the output is expected to reach 320 tonp. The teat the op* uing season was ahout 3.76. ire qual ty of the butter tn«nufectured , is very god, most (if tho Government grader's rep rts on the various shipments shown the pressman being endorsed " a fineparce l ." Flav. ur, the main confiderastm in but'er, itsono > f Mr 8.-ange's strong paints, and the grading points average 93, which places the article in the firßt grade. Besides tho teßiing with a 24 bottle Babcock in the ordinary course of business, suppierß on payment of a small fee, can have their individual cows tested, and are thus enabled and encouraged to keep up the quality of their herds, a great factor in successful dairying, both in the producing and manufacturing. The oompany has drawn up a set of rules for the guidance and direction of suppliers, gf-eat stress beiog laid on the imperative necessity for cleanliness, which indeed is set bef re thßtn in an object lesson by the scruiul us care exercised by the factory and creameries stuffs. Among the rules are clauses making it compulsory to h&A canvas coverß on the milk waggons to kefe?" sun and dust from the contents of tfta cans. The use of coolers is also oompeller?. Six men are employed at the factory under the manager, Mr Beange. who has been with the Company from its inception. Mr Beango has had 10 years' experience in the trade, and has worked at the Wyndham, Edendale and Stratford factories, excellent traning grounds which he has made ithe best use of. The assistant butter-maker, Mr Petersen, his his superior's utmost confidence, as a really good man for the position. 'lhore are four creameries oonnected with the factory, the largest being that at Pukekuni, started during the Company's first season. Thirty suppliers sent in the week ending November 17th 170,0541bs of milk, averaging 3 - 6. Two Alfa Laval separators and a Triumph pasteuriser are installed, driven by a 6 h.p. Tangye engine with al2 h.p. Fraser boiler. Mr C. Shaw, the creamery manager, receives about 300 gallons more per day than last year, from the same supplier?. Fencourt comes next in size with 29 suppliers and a weekly receipt of 140,4621b5, at 3(5 test. Mr J. Beadsten has to work two Alfa Laval separators with a turbine Alfa heater, driven by a 6 h.p. Marshall engine and 12 b.p. Tangye boiler. Compared with last year there is an increase of fully 2<U gallons per day, the number of suppliers being the same in this case also. „ Mr C. Day's old factory at Tamahere, taken over same three years ago, is the third in importance; 76,003 gallons being forwarded from 20 herds, the test averaging 37. Mr Day's test is generally highest, he obtaining one day last week 4 5. Here also are two Alfa separators, with a new heater, made by Mr Datoh, of Wellington, and supplied by Messrs A. Harvey and Sons, Auckland, working splendidly, The power is derived from a Tangye engine and boiler of 6 and 12 h.p. respectively. One of Davidson's skim milk weighers is to be installed shortly. Mr Harry Day, the manager, has to deal with about the same supply as last year.

Griceiale has 15 suppliers Bending in 69,270 gallons, average test 36. The two Alfa separators are driven by a f} h.p. Campbell oil engine and 2 h.p. Masrey boiler, though the substitution of a steam engne is mooted. 'lhe daily increase of supply over that of last year is 200 gallons, and the distriot is oapable of much greater devekpnent; indeed, the creamery, of which Mr E. Larson is in el 'rgo, shou'd pre long become the largest owned by the company.

Tne cream is carted from Pukek .era and Gncedale by the company's own tour-horse covered waggon; Mr Nunn has the contract for carting from Tamahere, and the manager at Fencourt carts bis own supply in.

One word and we have closed a much too brief account of one of our most successful ventures, a standing monument to the achievement poss ; b!e to united action and loyal support. Not only is the practical side of the concern in capital hands, but the business control is vested in directors honoured with the entire confidence of the district, namely, Mnssrs Ja=. Taylor (chairman), Ed. Allen, John Fisher, Jas. Hooker, C Diy and Dr. Coates. The secretary is Mr Martin Butler, who, at his office in Cambridge, shows that knowledge of details which only the conscientious, painstaking eervsnt oan.