DAIRY FARMERS' UNION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 282, 21 August 1908, Page 8

DAIRY FARMERS' UNION.

SPEECH BY MR. M'NAB. MR. CUDDIE'S REPORT. The Wellington Dairy Farmers' Industrial Union of Employers held their inaugural smoke concert at the Oddfellows' Hall, Trentham, last evening. Mr. W. Brown was in the chair and there was a good attendance.- Among those present were the Hon. R. M'Nab (Minister for Agriculture) and Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P. . Tho loyal toast being duly honoured, Mr. A. J. M'Curdy proposed tho toast "The Agricultural Department." In doing so, ho said that tho dairy farmers' organisation showed that they .could form a union independent of any body, j semi-political or otherwise. He pa'd a.:tribute to Mr. M'Nab's work and mentioned, that the land legislation had done a lot to aid tho small settlers to acquire land. In reply, Mr. M'Nab said that ho was as

desirous of seeing the Agricultural Department, developed along safe and sound lines as anyono in tho,; Dominion. Illustrating the immense, work of the Department, he mentioned particularly the veterinary and biological divisions. Referring to the dairying division (one of ten divisions) lie said that in the past it had been tho practice to send to Canada and Europe for instructors ready made, before our industries spread, and in a year or two, our dairymen were put on a plane which enabled them to compete successfully with, almost any of the other countries.. He continued to say that one result of tho American financial crisis was that the prices of wool and flax were affected on the London markot, but tho price of' dairy . produce went- up. Food supplies, etc.; maintained their normal lovel. Twenty years ago, if wool was. down it mado all the difference, but now there were moro industries and our exports were being changed. Wool and flax went up and down, according to tho fashion, but this did not apply to food supplies. If wo took care that our food supplies were always of the best, the price would always remain good, .and we thus put. ourselves in the position that financial troubles would not affect us at all. It should bo the object of the < Department to see that our exports were of tho best possible quality. Now, aud for some time past, we had learned all tho instructors had to teach us so far as .the actual -manufacture was concerned, but we had not got. the modifications of tho lessons following upon our different conditions and climate. We could not roly any longer on outsiders to teach us tho lessons, and tho present Government recently decided, and it was on the eve of being carried out, that'tho country should havo a Dairy School, which was to be at Palmerston'North. Last yoar Mr. D. Cuddie, the Dairy Commissioner, had been sent Home, and so far as the experts were concerned, he could sav that no

J one had gone Home and returned with so much information as that contained in the report in his (tho speaker's) h'and. When the contents of the report became known, it would make ■ enormous modifications in the industry. Tho Minister mentioned that 80 per; cent, of our exports came under the Department of Agriculture. Mr. M'Nab quoted Mr.. Cuddio's report to show that as other countries' were going out of tho market it would help the local producers. Tho extract was as follows:—"In Germany •a large quantity l of butter is now consumed, and it ._ is found' necessary to import largo' quantities to meet the demand, whoreas only a Germany was exporting largo quantities of butter to other countries. As showing _ the , magnitude of the imports of butter, it'may bo mentioned that as many as 9000 casks of Danish and Siberian buttor aro frequently .purchased in one week at Copenhagen for shipment to Germany. Discussing one of tho leading business,, men in London', he informed mo that only .a,few years ago ho employed an agent in Germany to deal with butter for export, but now that same agent was acting as his ..salesman of butter imported into Ger-: many! The consumptive demand for butter is'also increasing in Prance, and at certain times'.of the year it; is found necessary to import largo quantities of butter into that country. During.my>visit to London butter , was being shipped from- Holland into

Franco at a prico above the London quotations. . One factor which ,is affecting the local supply of butter and cheese in England and Scotland is the ever-increasing demand ■ for milk in the large cities. The milk' can bo delivered ill good condition over long distances by train, and. the dairy farmers prefer to dispose of tho whole milk wherever possible, , instead of making it up into cheese or butter. Many; of these dairy farmers are now actually buyers of imported butter, and when on a visit to several dairy farms in Scotland I found Hhat tho -butter from

New Zealand was being used. . . . Many of the cows in Denmark ■ produce over 10,0001bs. cf milk per annum. In one district, L visited ,tho number of herds of cows producing ; between . 0000 and 10,0001bs. of milk per. annum was forty-two." ; Tho_ Minister, continuing, said that ho had no objection to-the formation of a union to support a common thought, and he welcomed dairy union. He had been asked to help in, the testing of dairy herds, but So much else had to be done.first, and ho asked in roply, if all tho animals in tho herd had been examined by the'dairy'farmers to find out if ; each cow paid', for even tho grass itconsumed. A testing station was not required for, this purpose. Many of the cows in Denmark had produced 10,0001bs. of milk per annum, and tho highest at Levin came to 13,5001b. There wero twenty-two cows out of a herd of a hundred at Levin which produced over 10,0001b. The Department was doing all it could to help the farmers, but tho; farmers should help themselves all they could: Mr. Cuddio showed that most of. tho ; disease was caused through lack of cleanliness. In conclusion ho said ho hoped the Department could rely on tho intelligent co-oporatipn of the fanners. (Applause.) The Chairman proposed tho toast of "Parliament, 1 ? coupled with tho name of Mr T M. Wilford, M.P. 'In reply, _ Mr. Wilford, who was warmly rccoived, paid a tributo to tho Minister for Agriculture. The Minister, he said, was setting; up a committeo to revise tins dairy regulations, and any of those present could givo ovidence. A number of other toasts were also honoured. • ■ ■■'■