MR. CUDDIE'S REPORT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 316, 1 October 1908, Page 5

MR. CUDDIE'S REPORT.

THE BUTTER AND CHEESE TRADE. • CONDITIONS AT HOME. ■ In his' report ,on , his recent visit to Europe and America, presented to Parlia.meiit yesterday, Mr. Cuddie, Dairy Commis- ; sioner,' says that what are considered at . Homo , to'be "good butter and good cheeso are just the class of produce known under these designations in New Zealand, or, for that matter, in any ot-lior dairying country." Damaged Packages. He watched the discharge, of- cargo, and. noticed that-,■ while very few of tho. cheese crates' arrived in a broken condition; there were quite a number of,butter boxes damaged,- and in , some instances portions ,of the boxes were missing so. that the butter was . exposed.. Most of the damage, however, occurred at the" Now Zealand end, so that closer supervision of the handling at this end was "necessary. The shipping companies' carpenters at Home. effected. rough repairs to tho broken cases. . "To • show the extent of the damage' in some of the shipments" (says tho, report), : "it may be mentioned that' a'large' portion of' the sorting shed of . the Eoyal Albert Docks is partitioned off for storing and repairing the broken boxes. This is'called 'the hospital,' and _ it'..was.. surprising to find so' large a quantity' handled in this, compart l ment." ' -v. :;i w.-y.'- -■ "■' ' .: / ■ :''t ■?" , ' : ■1 ' ' Quality of NewSZealaiid Butter,. Mr. Cuddie found New Zealand butter, as . a general ru]e, superior to that from other sources Denmark and Sweden. In the Danish butter there was much more cf superior quality than there was in:the butter of New Zealand,-fand it was more uniform; due, of course, ■to the' fact: that. it was only a few jflays old-on arrival. The chiof defect was fishiness, which characterised even some of the * high ■ scoring brands. It was the/worst,fault ;known on the butter market. Expert opinion in Denmark (which corresponded with that field in New Zealand) considered the only preventive of fishiness was ijb • prevent contamination of the milk or cream, to pasteurise the cream, and to ripen. it'Jwith a first-class starter. - ■ ■ . ; . v The Pasteurised Cream Experiments. ; On this jsubject Mr.'Cuddie states:— : "While 1,, was ,in London I was asked to examine aSsmaU'consignment of pasteurised , butter 1 from New Zealand, which was made ' at a ; dairy factory under the direction of the ■instructors of this division. Tlie butter was graded' on October: 8, and : stored at Moturoa until December 20. It was then regraded.and shipped to London, where it was .held for rf , week at an ordinary temperature before' being sampled. ; "Along with the, salesman of the firm handling tlie> consignment, a careful examination was made, when it was found that the butter had kept exceedingly well, not-, withstanding the .fact that it- was four. '' months old.; The ' test which the butter underwent, together with the condition in ' which it' opened up on : the market, was / a splendid object lesson as to the' excellent keeping quality of properly made, pasteurised butter. * "The company could not see its way to continue to'-pasteurise the cream for, buttermaking,'owing to the lower percentage of overrun' obtained as compared with tho , ordinary system of manufacture. ' Subsequently further, experiments were made by. the instructors at other factories. . These later experiments proved that a'reasonable overrun: ca'ii lje made when the cream is pasteurised, 1 and also that a better-keeping • -butter'can be made under-this'method tbau - . by the ordinary system.1 Moisture in Butter. "Many of, the merchants. and some of the' • retail provisipnj doalors. with-whom I ; came into contact referred to the question of moisture in New : Zealand butter. They expressed the opinion that this was being gradually increased, "and I had to admit that thero.was a tendency in that direction. I "A.number of people in the trado make a practice of having samples of tho butter analysed from timo to time, and they were anxious to point out tho danger of allowing too much moisture to remain in the butter, stating that their experience had been that butter :of this : class did not retain its keeping quality so well' as a normally dry but- ■ ter. Several 'brands , of .' New Zealand'butter were mentioned which contained a high percentage of-moisture, and. these wore not • giving' satisfaction to the purchasers. "Some of tho leading men'in the business have been studying the question of moisture in butter for years,- and they liavo come to the conclusion that the butter which contains the least amount of moisture keeps better ;than that which carries a larger' quantity. (This matter is considered of so ■ much importance by some of the buyers that •they have issued instructions to their agents abroad, to pay a higher price for the , driest butter. . ; • >'. ' "The' contention of some of those interested in dairying in New Zealand has been that in shipping a fairly dry butter to the Homo. markets the • producers are playing into tho hands of the butter-blenders, and ; that any opposition to the increase of moisture in butter emanates from them only; but this is-not-so, for a number of'the retailers who have: no connection with, the blending establishments complained to mo about the increase in the moisture of New Zealand .butter, stating/that it had a detrimental effect on the keeping quality. Preservative in Butter. . "A large quantity, of the .butter exported from :Now Zealand to the Homo markets contains a small amount of preservative in the form of a' .boron compound. The Home . authorities are aware of this, arid during my visit to London information was being collected % thorn as to tho quantity used in New Zealand and other butters, with a view of placing it under control. Tho' contention of some ,of the medical authorities is that the use of this ingredient is injurious to health, owing to its addition to so many different foods, although-many are prepared to admit, that tho small quantity of boracic acid used in butter is iii" itself in no way. harmful. ' _ "Along with Mr. Cameron,. New, Zealand .Produce Commissioner in London; I .called on Dr. Buchanan, who is, I understand, preparing ■ a report on this question .for ,tho . Home Government. I was askod ' a great many questions as to tho quantity of boracic acid used-in butter in the Dominion, at what stage of the process of manufacture it. was added, etc., all-of' which I was. able ■ to explain. . "I found that, there was some' misappre- . honsion in,the minds' of those who'have this matter under consideration. For example, some of-them werp of .the opinion that preservatives were.added .to the milk, and also to the cream which has to.be convoyed over long being- into butter, and,that a further amount was used at the manufacturing stage. In this of course, they were quite in error. .'' ."A great-',many analyses of New Zealand butter have ? been mado for boron compounds, and I understand that more are to follow! It is of tho utmost > importance, therefore] that every care bo. taken by tho buttermakers to . guard against using too much preservative,. If. any preservative, other -than salt,_ is used lit all, it 'should bo used very' sparingly, and in no case should it excoed one-half of 1 per cent. Otherwise prosecutions are likely to follow. Boracic Acid Not Legalised. "Strictly speaking, there is no regulation in existence in England permitting tho use of boraoic acid in butter. The Select Commit- , tee appointed by the Home' Government in 1901 mado' a recommendation to tho effect that the use of 0.5'0f 1 per' cent, of -boracic acid be allowed, and, acting on the strength' ■ of this recommendation, many have continued to uso preservatives in their butter, taking care to keep tho quantity down to the limit montionod, which had been allowed to pass;

"To show, that there is doubt in the minds of some of the Homo officials as to the use of any' preservative in butter, it may be mentioned that whilo'l was in London a retailer was summoned for _ selling New Zealand butter which contained U. 4 of 1 per cent, of boracic acid. The caso. was "to be heard on a certain date, but fortunately Mr. H. C. Cameron and I were able to point out to tho officer who had the caso in hand the conditions under which . preservatives were added to butter in-New Zealand, and also the understanding which prevailed amongst the dairy pcoplo with regard to the allowance permissible as stated in tho recommendation, of the Select Committee abovo referred to. Fortunately, tho case against this retailer, was finally struck out, and a very had advertisement for New Zealand butter avoided. Should Try to Do Without It. "It is just possible that stepi will be taken by the Homo Government to prohibit altogether tho use of boracic aoid in butter; therefore every effort should be made to improve the quality of milk supplied to factory, so as to render the uso of any preservative in butter, except good dairy salt, unnecessary: "Many of the dairy companies have discontinued the addition of anything but salt to their butter for some years, while others have never made any such addition, and thoir butter has opened up well on the British market, thus proving that preservatives are not absolutely essential to good-keeping butter. In Denmark and ■ several other countries it is illegal to add boracic acid or similar preservative to butter, and were, it not for the fact ■ that New Zealand butter has to undergo a somewhat lengthy period of storage before marketing it might be well to consider.the',advisableness of following their example in the interests of our dairy industry as a whole." . Colour of Buttor. ' . Mr. Cuddie. states tha.t New Zealand butter is darker than usually used in England. Tho'London trade did not object, but ! in Manchester, Liverpool, and the North of England 'generally, they -had become prejudiced in favour of'-the lighter colour "of Danish butter. However, .this prejudice "was diminishing. "Even if the natural colour of the butter in this country could be altered without spoiling the flavour, somo difficulty would still arise in attempting to cater for the different requirements of various -markots, and thus lead to confusion in connection with the manufacture." Half of Now Zealand's Butter is Blended. "Tho blending ■of butter in England has now/assumed very large proportions, thousands,of tons being turned out annually, and the number of blending-factories is increasing. ' Large quantities of Now Zealand and Australian ' buttor are being mixed, and blended with butter from Siberia and' other Continental countries,, and also with butter mado in various parts of' Great Britain.- Although it is impossible ■to give an accurate estimate of the quantity of New Zealand buttor uscd_ for blending purposes, the .result of my inquiries made at .Home indicate that not less than 50 per cont. of the total quantity exported from the' Dominion goes through this process. Some of the provision merchants' maintain that the proportion of New Zealand butter which passes through the' blending "factories, before it reaches the con- ■ sumorisfar abovo this estimate. ' Suits the Multiple Shopownors. "One factor which has been instrumental in'creating a much' greater demand for blended butter is the extension of what may be called the 'multiple shop' system. 'Very, large companies have como into existence '.within recent-years., as owners of numerous 'retail shops ill difforent towns. Many of these'companies own as.many, as from 'two hundred to five hundred shops, and they, find it pays them better to sell blended butter .than' .any.- other kind,. for the-reason that they 'are able to work "up a good'trade for a special blend of butter under their ownbrands'. Some of these companies have their'own blending factories, and several grades.' of butter are prepared, to suit 'tho requirements' of their numerous customers. It is found ;' that,', by selling regularly an article uniform in', taste,- texture, and colour, tho -public, eat mSro, and consequently, buy more, than; when only unblended butters aro sold., ' '' ■ , : "The multiple shopowiiers find it an advantage'.to be "in a position to supply a largo quantity of a'given kind of butter continuously, irrespective of the season of tho year, and the result is .that,a great/many of the people in England have - become accustomed to the taste of blended butter. The brands under which it is put up'bccome known to the customers, and this means a steady and. growing demand-for tho article.. The Moisture Question. 1 '.'Every care is taken by the blenders to keep the moisture-content within the limit of 16 per cont. allowed by tho law. Frozen butter can be treated' almost immediately it is-withdrawn from'tho cold stores. After passing through tho process of blending, the body,and texture, as well as the colour, of the buttor are altered beyond recognition. In some cases a small quantity of prepared milk or starter (which, by tho way, is called 'moisture' when once it is incorporated with tho butter) is added. This, together with tho treatment the butter receives during'tho process, affects the keeping-quality of the buttor, to somo extent. • , "Although blended butter when new is usually fresh and sweet, it will not keep well for any length of time, therefore, it is necessary to place ; it on. tlio market almost immediately. Frequent deliveries are mado to the retailers, thoreby. avoiding complaints regarding 1 tho quality from those who purchase it.for use on their, tables. ' "Unlike the 'faking' of butter, blending is lookod upon in England as a perfectly legi-' tima'to business —which it really is—and, although ' many of those : connected with tho dairy industry in N.ow Zealand think otherwise, there is-no disputing the fact that in the past tho good prices rocoived for the butter from this country have to no small oxtent been due to tho demand for it by the ■ blenders. Should We Add More Water? "It has been argued by some that the moisture in Now Zealand butter should bo incroased so as to make it unprofitable for the blender to handle. Some of tho dairy 'companies have already allowed this condition to influence them, and they have altered the methods of manufacture with a l ' view of increasing their returns by leaving more moisture in their butter; If this is,carried too far it can only result in lower prices to the producers, for just as soon as New Zealand butter is loaded with extra moisture up to the point where it will not pay the blender at the price, less money will be paid for it. So far as the extra moisture is concerned, there will bo nothing to hinder tho blenders putting tho butter through a special process -to tako the moisture out, and then mixing with other butters in the ordinary way at a profit. It is a mistaken idea to think that the wliolo aim of tho blender is to work an additional amount , of moisture into his butter, or that this is the one . and only profit made from the process. "Some of the wholesale merchants informed mo'that they wero seriously considering tlio question of,starting to blend butter on their own account, in order to keep their trade together, and to'meet the increasing demand for this class of butter." ' The Markot Outlook. Mr. Cuddio thinks there is no likelihood of tho production of. butter exceeding tho demand, because people aro learning to eat more of it. This is partly due to its better quality. Heavy stoclcs of cheeso are moro likely to accumulate-than of buttor, and it ■is pointed out ithat Great Britain is tho only available market for cheddar cheese, other nations not liking it. Mr. Cuddio strongly approves of tlio suggestion to locate an oxpert- grader and judgo of dairy produce in London to watch interests aid adv.yw.

Cheese Faults. A largo number of cheeso were the subject of complaints, many for being unripe. Tho cheese from the nower factories came in for the most criticism, particularly those in Taranaki which made cheeso last season for tho first time. Inferior milk would mako better butter than cheeso, and it was hard to get suppliers to change their methods suddenly. Mild, clcan-flavoured cheeso was in good demand, and that could be mado from clean milk, well cooled on tho farms. Tho "off" flavour was the most prevalent fault, duo to impure milk. British Milk is Clsancr. "When comparing tho New Zealand cheese with the. Scotch and English chcddars, I found that tho latter were, as a general rule, superior in ■ flavour. Both tho Scotch and the English cheeso are not marketed until thoy aro much older than ours, tho age of the cheeso ranging from three to twelve month's, and yet'the flavour is usually much cleaner. And why? Simply because tlieso cheeso are made from cleanor milk." Other Faults. Soft "and weak-bodied choese.were rare in New Zealand consignments, and they were not wanted. Tho majority of the New Zealand cjieese wore well mado. Complaints of open and loose body cheese were moro common, and: it was worth 2s. per cwt. less, retailers objecting to it on account of tho waste,, appearance, and tendency to dry. The fault characterised the cheese from tho large factories of several branches rather than of the smaller factories. Tho chief cause is tho salting of the curds before the proper stago of manufacture, perhaps ill an attempt to rush matters through with a short staff. The frequent complaint that "tho cheese are not 'fat' enough for our trado" was the result:of the cheese not being sufficiently broken down or matured. The cheese .dealers believed (erroneously) that a cheese which showed some extra moisture was richer in butter-fat. Temperature should be Modified. Some of the unripe cheeso shipped wero scarcely past the curd stage on arrival, owing to the low temperature on the ship and in England. Tlireo weeks' curing in tho factory a't 53 and 60 degrees was necessary. "After having gone carefully into the) question of the condition of New Zealand cheese on arrival on the Home markets, I i think' it highly necessary that a change be made in the temperature at which tho spring and early summer shipments are carried oil • board tho steamers. The temperature should be-from 55 to 60 degrees Falir. for all cheese arriving on the markots up to tho end of; March in each season, instead of 45 .to 50 degrees as at presont arranged." Stencilling, Oolour, and Weights. [ Neater stencilling, on tlio ends of the cheeso [orates. was desirable. In regard to colour, there should bo a greater difference between white [and coloured cheose. The amount of colouring matter required was 1J ozs. to 1000 lbs. of milk. In regard to weights, it paid tb allow tho full 5Gi lbs. of butter per .box, as irregular-weight butter was at a discount. In cheeso it was a moro difficult iprobleih, as tho shrinkage varied with -ago. and the percentage of moisture. The usual of 3 per ccnt. was generally considered ample, and indeed 2 per cent, ought to cover the loss, but "some enormous claims foij short weight wero made last season —amounting to tons of cheeso in tho case of large outputs—and these require careful investigation." Danish Methods. j. '.'Tho. report also gives a detailed description <Jf Danish methods of farming and facwork, and Mr. Cuddio says, "at tho .factories I found that the. flavour was'better than that of tho milk usually delivered from the majority of tho farms in New Zealand. The only form of milk inspection in existence in Denmark is that undertaken by tho farmers themselves" and through representatives appoiuted by tho factories.