DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 145, 20 June 1906, Page 3

DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

TWELFTH ANNUAL MEETING. THE BUTTER QUESTION AT HOME. [By Teleukafh.] (From Our Special Tl-ijorter.) PALMERSTON, 19th June. The twelfth annual meeting of the National Dairy Association was as full of business .as previous meetings, the sitting lasting all day, and discussions being animated. Interest in the proceedings was continued throughout the sittings, and the attendance numbered about 150 members. FARMERS' INSURANCE. A motion in favour of the association affirming the principle of a mutual insurance scheme for dairy factories was debated. The mover (Mr. Dive) said at the present time farmers were paying 22s or 23s per £100 for their insurance on dairy factories, and only 8s 8d on farm buildings. In tho speaker's opinion creameries and the like were nearly as good risks as farm buildings, and there should not be such a difference in prices. He proposed that for the first year a charge of 20s per hundred should be made. By this means they would raise a sum on dairy factories of about ,£2OOO. Afterwards it would be easy and practicable to reduce the premium by at least half. As a safeguard in^the event 'of some emergency, he would' ask tho factories to give some guarantee that any deficiency would be made up by them pro rata. This would create a sort of reserve fund. He could say that the 1 losses during the last few years had been very small, and yet the dairy factories " had paid away some eight or ten thousand pounds to the insurance companies. He felt that the scheme, if adopted, would be beneficial to the whole body of dairy factory owners. Mr. D. Boddie (Eltham), after speaking at some • length on the good work done by the Mutual Insurance of th« Farmers' Union, moved, "That it be a recommendation to the dairy factories represented at the meeting to consider the advisability of insuring in the Farmers' Union Mutual." He thought that it trquld be far better than setting up a rival institution. After further discussion the amendment was temporarily withdrawn, and the motion was carried. Mr. Boddie then moved his former amendment in the form of a motion, and it was adopted. REPRESENTATION IN ENGLAND. Mr: M'Farlane ' (Pahiatua) moved, "That steps be immediately taken to send a- representative Home to look after the interests of the dairy factories there." He thought that such a step was absolutely necessary, and that the time was quite ripe for it. Mr. T. J. JoD (Okaiawa), in seconding the motion, considered that it was quite imperative to have another man at the other end. Their representative should have all powers to follow up the butter after it left the colony. In order to start the thing he was prepared to subscribe £200 per annum towards the expenses. (Hearty applause.) The short discussion which followed was almost wholly in favour oaf the motion. It was pointed out, however, that some difficulty would be found in giving 'the representative the required power of entry. Mr. Kinsella, Government Dairy Expert, said he was very pleased to see 'the matter brought up. As to the question of the difficulties to be met with by the officer, he thought he could, thrown some little light on the matter. To follow the butter up properly would require^ not one man, but about a thousand. This would be necessary if they were to get any actual results as to what became of the butter after it got on the hands of the London purchaser. Mr. Kinsella related the tremendous difficulties he had experienced while in England recently, when he desired to examine certain shipments of butter. He believed that if there was a man to see the butter ' and report on its actual' quality on arrival at Home it would be a lot .better than the present system of depending on second-hand information. He was very glad to see that, though there was delay on the part of the Government, the producers were taking the matter up themselves. The chairman iMr. Foreman) said that what really was wanted was a man to go Home to watch the conditions of trade and send reports to the people here, so that better arrangements could be made as time goes on. Mr. JoU suggested that factories should base their subscriptions on the value of their output), say 5s per ton. Mr. Morton (Mangori) pointed out that on this basis Taranaki alone would contribute some £1700 per year He thought that) a. much smaller sum would suffice. After further discussion the motion was carried without dissent. A TARIFF QUESTION. ' Mr. Harkness • moved — "That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that in any proposed revision of the Customs tariff there shonld be no increase in the duty now charged on machinery used for dairying purposes, except in the direction of more clearly defining the interpretation of the- Customs Tariff Act." The mover said that the present duty on machinery amounted to 20 or 28 per cent., but that) if a declaration was, made that it was for dairy use only the duty was reduced to 5 per cent. He strongly urged that She motion be passed, stating that Protection was not in the interests of the fanning community. • (Hearty applause.) Mr. Morton urged that the motion as it stood was very ambiguous. He thought that the last clause should be struck out to meet hia views. Mr. Harkness removed the clause in tihe middle of hia proposition to the end. In this form the motion was carried. EXPORTATION OF SALTLESS BUTTER. A lengthy discussion, in which the greatest possible interest wae taken, followed the introduction of the following motions by Mr. Marr :— (1) "That the export of sal£les» bubter should not bo prohibited, as such a course would not have the slightest effect in the direction contemplated, viz., the checking of buttter adulteration in tho United Kingdom." (2) "That in our opinion the system of butter adulteration now obtaining in the United Kingdom is the most serious menace with which the butter industry of New Zealand is at present, or even has been, faced. The one and only course is for our Government to take such steps as will impress upon the Imperial Government tho necessity of immediately passing a drastic Butter Adulteration Pie* ] vention Act." The mover thought that to try and prevent adulteration of New Zealand butter in the United Kingdom would really mean that they would have to stop all exportation. Mr. Kinsella said he could hardly understand the motions. The export of saltlesa butter was a source of probable danger to the industry. Last year there was a great demand for this article, and many makers had token advantage of it without considering what ito effects on {

the industry would be. Of ..course he believed that the article demanded by consumers should be manufactured. If possible, however, nothing should be done in any way detrimental to the sound system of manufacture which has hitherto built up the reputation of the colony for uniformity, etc. His views on this matter were really well known, and he could only reiterate what he had said before. To ship unsalted butter was a very great mistake. It was unwise to take the attendant nsks from the butter faker, and otherwise any general improvement which could be made in the future must be on the lines of improving the raw material. Mr. Geo. Shirtcliffe (Wellington) wanted to know whether the unsalted butter kept as well as the salted, and in what way tne colony's reputation had suffered. Mr. Kinsella replied that the salted was much the better. He held that the Teputafcion of New Zealand would Buffer in the future if things went on as at present. After an in and out kind of debate of the keenest kind Mr. Marx's motions were carried. A hearty vote of thanks was given to Mr. Kinsella for the information he had aff OTded during the debate. The meeting at 5.30 o'clock adjourned until the following afternoon.