“Openness in New Zealand Cheese”

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 63, 8 December 1930, Page 13

“Openness in New Zealand Cheese”

Sir,—Apart from standardising, the fault of openness in the make of New Zealand cheese to-day is a serious question, and one that requires handling with more determination than is being, done to-day. lam quite wililng to admit that Massey College is investigating this fault, but how long are we going to be finding out the cause of the trouble? To my mind we do not seem to be any further advanced than we were, two years ago, and I think the dairy division could do more than they are doing. It is said that faulty milk is the chief contributing factor toward this trouble, and I for one, Sir, have no' reason to doubt that assertion. We have dairy instructors visiting our factories instructing our managers how to make cheese, with no.better result than if the manager had been left to his own methods. These visits are at intervals, and it is a well? known fact that the instructor is always to be found in the making room of a factory. Ask him to go on to the platform while suppliers’ milk is being received on the stage, and I venture to say there is “nothing doing.” lam positive that the presence of the instructor on the receiving stage whenever he visits a factory would do a power of good in more.ways than One. There is plenty of time for the instructor to watch the making of cheese after the milk has been, taken in. A word from a Government official regarding the quality of one’s milk would have far more effect than the usual grouse from a manager, more especially if it was backed up by sending a can or two of faulty milk home. I commend my suggestion to the dairy director. There are various opinions in . reference to this fault of openness in our cheese. One is that it is not long enough in the presses; then again, that it is insufficiently pressed, the pressure applied by the present method not being even. This may be a contributing factor. My company has been informed that there is now in use at several factories in the Wairarapa a new type of pressure applied to the presses in the shape of hydraulic pressure. We are told qne factory has had this installed for two seasons, and what I would like you to find out from the dairy director is this: Are the London reports of this company’s cheese pressed under this method any better regarding the fault of openness than other factories under the present method? The reason I ask is this: My fellow-directors, with some directors from another factory,' were thinking of paying a visit to the Wairarapa in order to see this method of pressing at work, but before doing so we claim we are entitled to know if the dairy division has any evidence to. show it is a decided improvement on the present method.—l am. etc., DAIRY DIRECTOR. November 30.

[“There is a more general endeavour being made this season by cheese-produc-ing companies to improve quality,” explained the Director of the dairy division of the Agricultural Department, Mr. W. M. Singleton, when the above letter was brought under his notice. Mr. Singleton added:—“The statement to the effect that no better results obtain after the instructor’s visit to a cheese factory ‘than if the manager had been left to his own methods’ does not altogether accord with fact, and eould be disproved by many factory manajers. Milk improvement requires more than the presence of a dairy instructor on the receiving stage. Milk grading with differential payments for different grades, backed up with farm dairy instruction, nre important factors in this connection. The question of pressing, cheese by hydraulic pressure is under investigation by the Dairy Research Institute. The dairy division’s officers are always pleased to discuss such matters with dairy directots, and to reply to any inquiries they may receive.”]