An instance came under notice yesterday. Only a year ago the Waitaki Dairy Company was started in the thriving district of Oamaru with 30 customers; today it has 285. Another sign of its expanding business is the fact that it has now commenced operations in Dunedin.
A fully-equipped factory was opened in Castle Street (near the railway station) yesterday, fitted with modern machinery which is capable of turning out 400 tons of butter per annum; fitted also with an 18 horse-power gas engine to work the machinery, and with every requisite for carrying on a tidy business, which shows every prospect of still greater expansion.
Mr S Bowman, the manager, was on the Government dairy staff a few years ago, and took charge of affairs at Oamaru 12 months ago. The headquarters of the company will in future be in Dunedin.
• The Press remarks that the changes in the weather have caused a slump in the whitebait catch. The season has been an uncertain one, and not of long duration. Some of the men employed in fishing, who were ever on the alert, made fairly good wages. In October, 8 and 10 a week was not uncommon, and a limited few have made as much as 5 in a single day, when the whitebait has been in full run and the river and the weather at their best. But this harvest of the sea is never long enough to satisfy those who net the fish, nor do they reap all the exclusive profits from it.
• All over the Lower Waihao district, in North Otago, from Morven and Willowbridge across to the Waihao Downs, the farmers have gone in largely for potatoes. This year (the Oamaru Mail states) one cropper, who should be able to gauge the prospects states that with an average yield there should be over 30,000 sacks available for export next year from Lower Waihao district.
• An unusually large crowd found their way to the second beach, St. Clair, when the band of the 4th Regiment, under Lieut. S. S. George, played an exceptionally fine programme of music. Excellent renderings were given of the march, "Boston commandery", in which the reed instruments were heard to advantage, Handel's "Largo in G"; chorus, "The heavens are telling"; "Vesper Bells", Morceau; prelude from "Scenes des poetiques"; "War march of priests" (Athalie); hymn, "Days and moments"; march, and "The cavalier", the last-mentioned item finding particular favour with those listening.
- ODT, 3.12.1912.
