DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 45, 21 August 1908, Page 7

DAIRY INDUSTRY.

IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS.

SPEECH BY HON. R. M'NAB. In an address to members of tho Dairy Farmers' Union at thkir inaugural smoke concert last evening at Trentham, the Minister for Lands (Hon. R. M'Nab) dwelt particularly on the importance to the dairy industry of the work done by the Department of Agriculture. He quoted passages from the report of the Chief Dairy Commissioner (Mr. D. Cuddie) on his recent visit of investigation to Europe, and using them as his text, emphasised the necessity of meeting the new developments in the dairy industry by united action among dairy farmers. Hundreds and thousands of people were dependent directly or indirectly on the work of the Department of Agriculture, and not least in importance among the ten divisions of tho department was the dairying division. When this was first started, it had been the practice to get men from all countries as instructors ready made. The result had been that in a few years Now Zealand dairy produce began to be known favourably in the markets of. the world. FOOD SUPPLIES. The financial upheaval in America had atf4cted the London market for wool and flax, which had suffered a serious decline in price At the same time butter and food suppliss had maintained_ their normal level or had even risen in price. "Compare this with conditions twenty years ago," said the T\s mister, "when, if anything went wrong with wool, there were bad times in tho Dominion. We are gradually changing our exports until they are becoming founded on a food basis. While wool may go up and. down according to Paris or London fashions, it is not so with food supplies. If this country develops along the line of food supplies, it is producing an article that must command money, *nd if the article is good we shall always command the top price. Food is the last thing th:i f . mea economise in. If the quality is good, the market is certain. It is important that the quality should be the very best that could be made. That is the duty of the department to ensure.the quality of the produce." ; TRAIN YOUR OWN EXPERTS. The Minister then returned to the subject of experts brought from other countries. The, lessons learnt in other countries had to be modified. The climate, the soil, the breed of animal were different, and people could no longer rely on the Canadian or the Dane. Modifications had to be introduced to get the best possible results. Kence thp establishment of the experimental stations at Palmerston North. MR. CUDDIES REPORT. The speaker then referred in terms of high praise to the work of Mr. Cuddio in his investigations on the dairy produce marEeb and conditions at . Home. His report when published vould enormously modify the ideas of dairy farmers on the industry. The fact was that the dairy factory and the\ creamery were being ousted near the large centres by ihe necessity of supplying the increasing population there with whole milk. This was so all over the world. Germany was no longer exporting butter, but actually importing. France was doing the same, and oven in Scotland farmers were using New Zealand and Australian butter on their tables, and keeping their milk tor direct disposal in the cities. Theve wa? in consequence no danger of the Home market being overstocked from those quarters. CLEANLINESS REQUIRED. Mr. Cuddie had investigated the condition of New Zealand dairy produce as marketed at Home, and he was of opinion that there was not a single defect in it that could not be attributed to one cause — dirt in the byre. It was the duty of farmers to help in the removal of this evil. They must provide for absolute cleanliness, and see that the makers could produce an article that would be second to none. He heped that the Agricultural Department could rely on the support of all in the great work to be done.