Sept. 1894.] 



DAIRYING IN VICTORIA. 



21 



number of hands employed was 360, whilst the capital invested 

 in machinery, plant, lands, and buildings, was 174,098^. The 

 quantity of factory-made butter was over 13 million lbs. ; and 

 of cheese 947,000 lbs. ; but in addition to this 10,320,079 lbs. of 

 butter and 3,110,463 lbs. of cheese were made on farms, which 

 were not returned as factories, although they employed over 

 14,000 hands exclusively in dairy- work. 



A considerable impetus has been given to the butter industry 

 in Victoria by the bonuses granted by the Government, and the 

 opening up of an extensive trade in that article — under the 

 supervision of the Department of Agriculture — with the United 

 Kingdom, to which country nearly 6 J million lbs. of butter, 

 valued at 322,056^., was shipped in 1892, as compared with 

 3| million lbs., valued at 186,400^., in 1891. 



The Victorian Department of Agriculture also undertook in 

 1889 to act as shipping agents for the batter exporters, and 

 these duties it has since continued to perform under certain 

 conditions as to packing and marking. Under this arrange- 

 ment the butter is consigned to the Government butter expert 

 at Newport accompanied by a way-bill stating the number of 

 boxes and other particulars. The freight charged by the Depart- 

 ment is l^d. per lb. 



With the further object of assisting the dairy industry in 

 preserving surplus butter during the summer season, the Depart- 

 ment has made arrangements to store such butter in the 

 Government refrigerating works at Newport, for any period 

 not exceeding three months, free of charge to the owner of the 

 butter. All expenses incurred in receiving and storing the 

 butter and in working the refrigerating machinery being paid 

 out of a grant of 37,000L allotted by the Government of the 

 Colony, in 1889, to provide bonuses in aid of fruit-drying and 

 dairy factories. 



As regards dairy factories, the bonus regulations provide that 

 a sum of 100^. may be paid to any individual, association, or 

 company owning a butter factory, or creamery, which during any 

 period of 12 months produces butter or cream of good quality 

 from not less than 26,000 gallons of milk in the 12 months. 

 For each additional 1,300 gallons of milk handled in the 12 

 months an extra bonus of 51. may be paid, but no payment may 

 exceed 300^. in respect of butter factories nor 200^. in the case 

 of creameries. These bonuses came into operation on June 30th 

 1889, for a period of six years expiring 30th June 1895. 



