CITY MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 96, 18 January 1924, Page 6

CITY MILK SUPPLY

TRANS-PAEKAKARIKI DISTRICT CALLED ON PRICES NOT AFFECTED Asked as to how the recent dry spell was affecting the city’s milk supply, the general manager of the municipal milk department (Mr. R. E. Herron) yesterday stated te a Dominion representative that next week milk purchased under contract with the Wellington Dairy Farmers’ Co-op. Association would require te be called in from over the Paekakariki hills, that is, milk which is at present supplying cheese factories in the Lower Manawatu. As showing the effect of the dryness of the present season, Mr. Herron pointed out that the complete absorption for the city’s vee as whole milk of the milk available in the area this side of the Rimutaka and Paekakariki hills is about two months earlier this season than last. It is only about six weeks since the Mangaroa cheese factory (which absorbs the surplus milk controlled by the Wellington Dairy Farmers’ Association) could not deal with the surplus then available in four 800-gallon cheese vats, and the shrinkage in supply during this period has amounted to something like 3500 gallons: or to put it another way, today’s production in this area is down about 45 per cent, below the peak production of early December. In the Lower Manawatu the farmers have experienced some good rains during the last few weeks, and accordingly to-day the supply going into the Rahui (Otaki) factory is only about 20 per cent, less than the peak production of early December. The present position would seem te indicate that in the coming autumn and winter the corporation will have to go further afield than usual for its milk supply, jvhich keeps the milk department busy in making the necesary arrangements for cans, transport and adjusting the work at the milk station.

The shortage in the near-by area does not affect the price payable by the corporation as the present contract does not expire until next spring.