FATHER OF DAIRY FACTORIES."

FATHER OF DAIRY FACTORIES  MR. CHEW CHONG HONOURED. At the Town Hall, New Plymouth, on Saturday, Mr. Chew.Chong, who is often styled; the father of dairy factories  in Taranaki, was presented with an address as a recognition of the service rendered to the province by his enterprise in the early days. In. reply, Mr. Chong was reminiscent, as will be seen from a perusal of the .following abridgment from the, Taranaki. When 110 arrived in New Zealand, he said he knocked .about the South .Island for three years, then came toWellington, recognised the fungus, went, into the trade, and made, a good profit. out of it. Other Chinamen arid many .white people then engaged in the business; The Maoris used to bring in cart loads, every day; and one day. a taranaki Maori told him there was plenty of fungus there, so he went to Taranaki. One day, in the third week, he piad out £65 cash for. fungus, at the rate, of 5s per bag.,. Then numbers of .people went, in for fungus-buyiiig; including Messrs. Newman, Humphries, B. Cock, King, and Shuttleworth Brothers, and from thirty-five to forty bullock dray loads used to come in every day.- He then started stores at New Plymouth, lnglewood, and Eltham. He had purchase forty kegs of. butter, which he could not sell in New Zealand,so he sent those to. England. He lost money, as freight was so dear, and the butter only realised 4d. per lb. The butter was very bad, only fit for cart grease, so the agents informed him.. Mr. Hulke, of Bell Block, advised him to get a pair of separators, at £95 each. He did.so, and started a factory at Eltham in 1887, with  the registered brand "jubilee." The first butter he sent Home realised £95 each whereas farmers butter brought 70s. In 18S9 he sent .twenty boxes to the Exhibition at Dunedin. He never thought to secure the prize, as it took about a: week getting; there, but he got  first prize and second prize.The Crown Dairy Company also took. prizes;.'In fact,-six Prizes came, to Taranaki.; A coincidence was the fact that a Chinese flag. was flying over his butter, although at the time it; was not known to be his. The papers could not: understand it they had never dreamt that a Chinaman could beat an Englishman or an Irishman,-and be gat inquiries as to his methods from all over Neiv .Zealand.'The first year he gave 2d. per gallon for milk, and lost on it, as it was too expensive to manufacture, though butter sold locally, at. ls. 2d.and Is. 3d. Next year he had to give 3d per gallon,'butter was a .bad price, and he lost over £1000. While there were few cows he was asked to erect creameries. He. erected three, but when cows were plentiful tliey started co-operative .factories.  He had to give 1/4 d.per lb. extra for milk to secure trade; and:even then he could not get much. He lostl over £7ooo.-He stuck. at it for sixteen or seventeen years,but most thought he had been treated very shabbily. Why did not the co operative people buy him out,even if.they had;only paid half the cost of his plant. As a matter of fact, they said, "Look at Joll and the Crown Company,' they are l making fortunes." Well, he  lost his.:His ten separators were sold at the foundry for 2s. 6d.: per try cwt, because since.the establishment of dairy factories the price of land had grown like a mushroom. He was very pleased to accept this memento. Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1034, 25 January 1911, Page 10