670 Ayriciiltural (^nzelle of N.S.JF. [^7/^.3,1008. 



Bntter Factories. — Butter factory iiistiillatioii.s are ijuite up-to-date, and 

 pro\ idi'd with jiowcr — both steam and ficc/ing — greatly in excess of present 

 requirements. La Union Argentina, a co-02)erative company, has tlio largest 

 factoiy in the country. Its output during the height of the season has totalled 

 over iM) tons a day. It has ]>bint and ]M)\ver suflicient to treat 50 tons a day, 

 and its cold rooms can store L'(),0()() boxes, -^i'liey also have equipped and 

 niaiuicd carpentering, tiiisniitliing, aii<l fitting shops. They keep a qualified 

 analytical chemist to analyse all tlieir butter for water, lioric, itc. 



Boxes. — The boxes used are of the Australian shape and size, made from 

 Canadian white wood. These are put togethei' and end)ossed at the factories. 

 The Canadian wood does not make such a good box as the New Zealand 

 pine; the strips are only 6 inches wide, and nails do not liold well in such 

 soft timber. 



Cream Cans. — The factories are under very heavy expense in has ing to 

 supply these free to all cream suppliers. This genei-al custom necessitates a 

 big outlay, for which no return is got : and you can depend on it, the dairy 

 farmer does not take great care of the cans he uses, and they often have to 

 be renewed. 



Churns. — The churns used are mostly the box concussion — similar to 

 Cherry's make — and the barrel churn and worker combined. AN'ith the 

 latter, the butter is salted and worked in the churn. Those who use it speak 

 highly in its favour. I do not thiids; it is known in this State. 



Marketing. — The commission agent is not at all evident. The whole 

 output is controlled by about six factories, who do their own marketing, 

 both local and export. 



Fnel. — The question of fuel is a serious one in the country ; no wood is 

 obtainable, so coal has to be used. This is imported from England, and, in 

 cases where the factor}^ is inland, the cost is very high, reaching to over £2 

 a ton. This accounts for the majority of the factories being centred in the 

 capital, near the sbipjiing. 



Labour. — In South America, labour is very cheap and plentiful -drawn 

 from all countries under the sun. I paid for ordinary workers £2 10s. and 

 £'Z a month ; butter-makers, £5 to i^lO ; managers of creameries, ,£n to £9. 

 One or two creamery managers, in charge of stations handling o,000 to 7,000 

 gallons of milk a day, received £13 to £14 per month. Butter factory 

 managers range from £15 a month to £1,000 per aiininn in one case. 



Quantity of Exports. — The (piantities exported duiing the past live years 

 show a decrease of about I 1 per cent, in 1903, 5,700 tons were sent away ; 

 for the year just passed only 3,200 tons : a decrease of 2,500 tons. 



(Juality. — -The quality, on the whole, is very good ; the percentage of 

 superfine would be higher than with us. This is accounted for by — 



(1) the cream coming in the most pait from large separating stations, 



and delivered daily to the factories : and also 



(2) the Indk of the cream is cooled and aerated inunediately it is 



separated, and before being put in the cans. 



