VIEW OF TOWN DAIRY,
SAUSAGE AND LARD MACHINERY
The story may now be carried on to the second annual meeting of the new Company, held on October 27th, 1898, Captain Tillet in the chair. Troubles had still been coming thick and fast, judging from the following passages from the chairman's speech- It is a matter of great regret to the Board that they are unable to present to you a better report of the working for last year. This unfortunate result is almost entirely due to the effects of the epidemic of foot and mouth disease which attacked the herd in November, and the attack of rinderpest which attacked Sassoon's station last February. The disease appeared for the first time in the history of the Colony at the cattle depot and at your Pokfulum station, the latter of which was declared an infected area, but was fortunately released by the Sanitary Board before the disease spread to your other stations at Sassoon's and at West Point, by which time it was general throughout the Colony: otherwise our business would have been entirely suspended. As it was, our sales in December were reduced fully two-thirds from those of the preceding four months, while the expenditure was largely increased, and the price of all food stuffs had risen considerably. Although the yield has greatly improved, it is still far below the average of previous years. This is owing to the fact that although we only lost by death two or three head from this foot and mouth disease, the bulk of the cows slipped their calves, and instead of giving twenty or thirty lbs. of milk have only given three or four lbs. apiece. The effects of this are still being felt. The rinderpest which attacked the station at Sassoon's in February carried off some twenty head of cows, and shut out the supply of milk from that station for nearly one month. Fortunately, the Sanitary Board adopted a different policy to that of 1896, when they closed up the farm, the result of which was that we lost 200 head out of a herd of 230. During September and October last, the herd was increased by seventy-five head, and, owing to the reduced supply, again in January a lot of eighteen head was purchased. In May last, Mr. James Walker, who has been manager of the farm since November, 1892, went home on six months leave, and his brother Mr. A. L. Walker is now in charge. At the present time, I am pleased to say, the herd is in excellent health and condition, and all our produce meets with a ready sale. At present we are unable to fill many orders, and it seems we should buy more, were it not that we consider the $15,000 uncalled capital should remain as a nucleus of reserve fund, which we should like to be equal in value to the book value of the herd."
The next annual meeting, the third, was held on December 18th, 1899, Captain Tillet again presiding, and saying: "Since our meeting of 27th
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