SUPPLIERS’ COMMITTEES

Waikato Times, Volume 98, Issue 15320, 22 August 1923, Page 6

SUPPLIERS’ COMMITTEES

ANNUAL SOCIAL.

BIG GATHERING AT HAMILTON,

Annually the New Zealand Co-opera-tive Dairy Company holds a dinner for its suppliers' committees at Hamilton, and this year’s function took place last night at the Alexandra Hall, when there was an excellent attendance. The gathering was presided over by Mr Claud Motion, chairman of directors. The function was more in the form of a social gathering and anything in the nature of speech-making was of a light and airy nature, Iho greater portion of the programme being devoted to entertainment, some excellent singing and elocutionary items being contributed. His Worship the Mayor of Hamilton (Mr J. R. Fow), who was present, extended a welcome to the .town of so many industrial men from outside. Being representatives of the great dairying industry they were general representatives of the world’s workers, and there was a genuine pleasure in welooming men who were not afraid to use .their hands in toil. It was the duty of all to add to the material prosperity of the land to which they belonged, and the dairymen of this country were doing so in a very marked degree. He wished them the greatest success during .the coming year and hoped they would enjoy some of the honey of life, to which he was sure they were well entitled. The chairman of directors, Mr Claud Motion, apologised for the absence of Mr W. G-oodfe-llow, who, he said, was a very sick man, and the directors were indeed sorry to hear that the doctors had ordered him a complete rest. So wrapped up in his work was he, however, that he had actually defied the doctors in order to be present at the annual meeting the following day. The directors regretted greatly Mr Goodfellow’s indisposition, not only from the fact that he would be unable to be present at meetings of the board for s'ome time, hut also from the standpoint of the business. Mr Goodfellow had brought about his present illhealth by his assiduity on behalf of the suppliers in whose service he had worn himself. He had undertaken a Titanic task and had worked like a Trojan, considering no day too long. Although the suppliers might see him at the annual meeting, they could look forward to him being absent from the business for four or five months, for he was indeed seriously 111. Some of the suppliers would probably say, “Yes, he might have worked, but he got a good ‘screw’ for what he did for us,” but, added the speaker, facetiously, “a big screw Is not much good to a'man when .his wife is a widow.” “But, seriously speaking, added Mr Motion, Mr Goodfellow is in a very low condition, and the directors would ask .the suppliers to believe that the men they had appointed to represent them on the board (while -they knew they were subject to criticism) were there, after all, 'to do their best on the suppliers’ behalf. Should they make any mistakes —and the directors after all were only human —ho would ask the suppliers, instead.of jumping on to their backs, to come along and help! them with useful suggestions. (Loud applause.) This would be far more to the interests of the company than to go about grumbling over imaginary grievances. Mr T. C. Blackett, in thanking the shareholders for again returning him to the directorate, remarked that while in the past there had been a good deal of criticism of the board, yet how came it, he asked, that their company was the largest dairy concern in the world, if it hqd not been run successfully. (Loud applause.) After referring to the great strain under which Mr Goodfellow had been working for the past two or three years, the speaker asked the suppliers to extend their utmost sympathy and support to the directors the task of making their company even more successful than it had been in the past. (Applause.) Mr D. Bruce, a new director, in returning thanks for his return, assured the supplers that he would do 'his utmost in the interests of the suppliers. The speaker paid a tribute to the clean fight put up by his opponents, whom he described as very fine fellows. Mr G. Buchanan, another member of the directorate, said he had only been a member of the Board since the amalgamation, and he would like to say that the majority of the suppliers at the Hauraki end of the district were favourable to the amalgamation. There were still a few irreconcilables, but he felt sure those would be converted before very long. (Applause). Mr J. Clark, one of the original directors, spoke in the .highest terms of the ability of Mr Goodfellow, whom he described as one of the most brilliant intellects in this or any other country. If there existed anything in the nature of a superman, Mr Goodfellow approximated .that character. They must treat him very tenderly on his return, and if the speaker had his way, he would do with their chief as the Singer Sewing Machine Company did with their manager, by placing him 3G storeys high, where anybody seeking an interview with him had to pass 36 different officials. (Applause). They must protect Mr Goodfel-low from the petty and trivial things with which he had been pestered in the past, and give him every opportunity to use his great powers to the best advantage. (Applause). The speaker dwelt for some time upon the value of co-operation, and repeated the question asked by Mr Blackett, as to how it was they had become the greatest dairying concern in the world, if they had not been successful. (Applause), lie counselled them all to keen smiling faces, and they would continue to advance to greater victories. (Applause). On behalf of his associates on the Board, Mr Motion presented Mr E. C. j Banks (recently retired from tiie j directorate) with a travelling bag and j rug. The speaker referred to Ihe j splendid work Mr Banks had performed whilst a member of the Board, and his late associates hoped in future to j have his help and advice, (Applause). In returning thanks Mr Banks roI ferred to the pleasant as well as the I anxious times he had had as a member of the Board, but said ho had so I much other public work to do that lie j felt lie had neglected somewhat the interests of dairying. He had heard from time to time, he said, a good deal of mud slung at Mr Goodfellow, and it made the speaker’s blood boil to hear some of the tilings said against a man like that. The shareholders had almost killed him with work, and few of them realised what their chief had actually done for them. ' Frequently Mr Goodfellow worked right through the night, only going home to breakfast, and very few people know it. The speaker also paid a high tribute to bis late associates on the Board, wiio, lie assured the suppliers, were heart and soul in their work, and were trying to do the very best on the suppliers’ behalf. lie also spoke in terms' of high praise -of the staff. I Major Spragg commended the directors on the selection of their brokers, of whom there were four, and ali, lie said, were reputable firms who had

proved straight in their dealings. Amongst the items on the entertainment programme wero songs by Messrs N. Day, Morgan, Saunders, Stanley, and Piper, violin selections by Mr Roebuck, flute solos by Mr G. Peace, and humorous recitations' by Mr Du Gay. AH were excellently rendered, and the artists enthusiastically recalled.