1924

February 22nd 1924 page 177

Argument regards distilled grape spirit purity.

March 21st 1924 page 273

Advertisements for:-
Spirit carting to Berri
Return empty hogsheads from Berri
Position as Secretary
Removal of skins and stalks from distillery; approximately 30 tons per day. Signed E.W. Paynter.

Mr. L.W.A. Peacock was appointed as Secretary during 1924.

May 2nd 1924 page 418

BUSY

The Berri Growers' Distillery

Berri, April 30th 1924

All roads lead to the distillery these days and the volume of traffic in the immediate vicinity of the building must recall to many old "diggers" the daily visit to the ration dumps-even to the hot coffee stall, except that this is not presided over by a Padre or Salvation Army official, but by a mere blocker, who with true digger instinct has grasped the favoravble opportunity and proceeds methodically to amass a fortune.
Yesterday morning at 7 a.m. there were 70 teams waiting to dispose of their loads and it is feared that some early bird will get such a start one morning that he will meet himself on the way home from the previous day's trip. The queue system is (more or less) in vogue, but as the administration of the rules are left to the individual, it is felt that less blood would be shed and fewer descriptive adjectives brought into play if the traffic regulation was in the hands of the police, as is the case at other less congested centres such as Piccadilly Circus, King William Street, etc. There is always with us the "nark" who arrives late but who mysteriously happens to butt in before his turn. One cannot but think that an old time "Cabby" accustomed to the keen competition of the stand would have a good deal in his favour when it came to getting rid of his doradilos at the distillery.

DISTILLERY CARTING

Monash April 27th 1924

To the uninitiated, distillery carting is a very simple and easy job, just driving the vehicle and throwing its contents into a pit-but that is not all. One heard of early morning queues last year but in an endeavour to the two loads in per day, as some carters have been doing, some folks are "on the road" at very early hours.
Record upon record has been broken. One person from Lone Gum was heard starting off at 2.45 a.m.. He was the first at the distillery but even then was not there long before a settler from the Berri "flats" came along. Since then one person, carting from Winkie, is credited with having arrived between 2.30 and 3 a.m.. Another case is that of a settler from Monash who attended a dance on Thursday night, went home, had a cup of coffee and then changed, harnessed up and set off for the distillery. One is almost wondering now if the Council propose granting camping licenses to those who might start camping there.
With all the inconveiences of long waiting, however, it is pleasing to see the spirit in which the majority of settlers take things. They fully realise that everything possible is being done by the Distillery Board and their capable General Manager to handle this huge vintage as speedily as possible. Handling a crop of something like 7,000 tons is a solid proposition to face and has to be dealt with systematically and so far this season the quota system is being put into force so as to regulate the quantity of fruit being received each day and to reduce waiting to a minimum.

November 28th 1924 page 430

THE DISTILLERY IMPROVEMENTS

Mr. W. Francis has 45 men engaged working on the extensive distillery extensions. These when completed will cost £40,000. Practically last years additions are to be duplicated as far as the winery goes. Forty 5,000 gallon tanks are to be installed at the back of the new winery. A water tank 66 feet high with a diameter of 28 feet is now in course of erection. This when full will hold 50,000 gallons. It is being constructed of reinforced concrete.
A new warehouse, 120 x 45 feet for storage of spirit is to be put up, and ten 20,000 gallon special tanks are also to be built. Two additional 42 horsepower engines and a large Cornish Boiler will be installed. When completed the distillery will be the largest in the Commonwealth.

1925

Could not find any entries in 1925.

1926

March 12th 1926 page 123

Annual Meeting of shareholders
The annual general meeting of the Berri Growers' Cooperative Distillery Coy., Ltd., was held at the old school building, Glossop, on February 25th 1926. There were present 235 shareholders.
The chairman (Mr. J.C. Cheriton) reported that during the the year the number of shareholders had increased from 232 to 399, 228 of which being fully paid up, 111 in their second year, and 60 in their first year. It is anticpated that quite a number of additional members would be forthcoming before the 1927 vintage operations commenced. During the past three years 19,481 tons were treated, 3,562 tons in 1923, 6,823 in and 9,095 in 1925, and during the 1926 vintage the distillery anticipates handling between 13 and 14,000 tons.
Further extensions were carried out during the year in order to handle satifactorily the large tonnages to be treated. The work recently completed comprised the the duplication of the present winery, containing two crushers, four presses, one 42 h.p. crude oil engine (with shafting, pulleys and belting), also sixty 2,000 gallon fermenting and six 5,000 gallon underground racking tanks, and one 42 h.p. crude oil engine in the old building, water tower (50,000 gallons), forty and ten 5,000 and 20,000 gallon storage tanks respectively, new bond store, chimney stack, boiler and Excise Officer's house. The chairman said that the wine industry today appeared to be a sound proposition in view of the fact that Australia, as a result of the granting of the bounty and increased Imperial Preference has entered into the sweet wine trade in Great Britain, and the consumption of wine and the trend of popular taste there has become of special interest.
The balance sheet, profit ad loss account, and 1924 vintage account were submitted and adopted. Already £4 per ton has been paid in progress payments to shareholders on their 1924 vintage and that amount available yet for distribution over this vintage is £6,651/18/3.
Through effluxion of time Messrs Norman Dyer, L.H. Maddern and A.J. Strang were due for retirenent and offered themselves for re-election.
Three new members were nominated, Messrs J.B. Anderson, W.H. Lister and A.C. Ingerson. Messrs Norman Dyer, J.B. Anderson and W.H. Lister were elected.
A vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr. Dalziel was accorded Messrs Maddern and Strang for their past service and expressed regret on their retirement. Messrs Maddern and Strang replied.

DISTILLERY BOARD ELECTION

Prior to this election the Barmera shareholders did not have representation on the Board. Mr. J. B. Anderson who is chairman of the District Council of Cobdogla and takes a prominent interest in most of the affairs that count for the improvements to the District was elected to the Board-see above.


May 28th 1926 page 254

Berri May 25th
Closed for a week
May 18th 376 tons. A record.
11,319 tons to date and approx. 3,000 to come.

October 29th 1926

Evidence from Berri-Concerning the continuance of the Bounty
Mr. J.C.Cheriton, Chairman of the Berri Growers Cooperative Distillery, said he wished to support the evidence given by Mr. Evans and submitted the following statement respecting the operations of the distillery.

Figures for 1927 estimated.
Included in the total for 1926 were 1123 tons of Currants, and for 1927, an estimated 1400 tons.

Production of Spirit

Figures for 1927 estimated

Tonnage Treated and Amounts Paid to Shareholders

1924-6823 tons 6 cwt 2 qrs; paid to growers £4 a ton and a further £6651 to be distributed; total £24,525/1/10.
1925-9095 tons 14 cwt; Gordos and Doras, £5, other varieties £8 and a further sum to be distributed; £45,082/6/4.
1926-13,601 tons 6 cwt 2 qrs; £4 to date; £54,406/6/-.

During the meeting Mr. Cheriton refuted the claims the company had been price cutting and stated that Berri was the only district to pay back any of the subsidy of 10/- per ton granted by the Federal Government for the 1924 season to bring payments for Doradillo grapes up to £1/10/- a ton. They were in a position to pay the growers £4/16/8, but were expected to refund the excess over £4/10/-. This year they expected to pay a minimum of £6/10/- a ton for Doradillos and £7 for Currants and Gordos
Mr. Rump, the general manager supported Mr. Cheriton's report to the Board and sincerely hoped the bounty would be continued.