DAIRY INTERESTS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 150, 29 June 1929, Page 12

DAIRY INTERESTS

YEAR REVIEWED

CONPLAINTS ABOUT CHEESE

'. An interesting review of .the dairying -Sason was given 'by ths president of the National Dairy Association (Mr. A. Morton) at the annual meeting at Whangarei. Mr. Morton touched on many points, which have been evereiLing. the minds of dairymen and exporters.

.Moving the adoption of'tho annual report and balance-sheet, Mr. Morton touched, upon the remarkable growth of the dairying industry. Although for the first time last season the sale of exported butter . and cheese amounted in value to '£20,000,000,. an increase of 1?. per cent, .ip production, he was convinced that there was room for further expansion, and visualised the day when present records would be doubled.- The pheuomeual increases of the.past year had not been due. to the large areas of new land broken in to industry or increased lands, but by the fact that farmers were making bigger use of fertilisers. Many more cows" were coming under the herd tester, and the standard had improved. There was a larger percentage of pedigree stock, and elimination of the scrub bull. Improvements had also resulted from farmers improving conditions of production. -Prices showed that market values, were becoming more stabilised, and the quality--of butter on the British market had been well maintained. The same could not be said ot .cheese. Judging by the numbers of complaints which had been received, quality had not been supported, and there seemed to bY some grounds for the statement that the standard had actually gone-back. Several schemes were in operation to correct ■this, but buyers did not seem, satisfied with waxing, which reduced- shrinkage. If waxing did not meet with approval, its discontinuance would need to be discussed. Nothing but good could be said ot standardisation. ■ . . The year had ■ been made memorable by. the visit o£ increased : numbers of representatives of. large London firms. Some opinions expressed by these men •were worthy of consideration. • In this connection he recal)ed a statement .made by Sir Thomas Clements), who suggested that funds which the Dairy Board had intended to devote to advertising wouid be better employed in research work. There had been a very considerable advance made in .research at Massey College, and there was'probability of a report being issued shortly which would be of great value to the industry. Considerable improvement had been made in shipping and handling arrangements. There had been no delay at this end and. although, a .little congestion had been caused"-by" several ships arriving in England at practically the same time, methods had been improved. "Mr Morton repeated a statement made two years ago that it was not to the interest of dairy farmers that the Dairy Control and Meat Boards should be amalgamated. He noticed with regret tha* the | president o£ a provincial executive of the Farmers' Union had advocated the pro-; ■Dosal Dairy farmers were engaged in the Dominion's most important primary industry That was sufficient reason for sepaiate'boards. Any interference in the qiiestion would be'"most regrettable. l.ApP Touching upon the balance-sheet, the president said it would have been posSbk to show a small credit -balu.ee «r stead of an apparent*^* of £3722, but some associations' p*eipal stocks tad shown for some time a falling off in value and it had been considered advisable; to ■write oS £3800. Competition m the sale of factory requisites was becoming very keen The association had received large support, but there were still a few com-, ianies that preferred to purchase their Seeds * elsewhere. These "should consider , the position. If the association was, at any time forced out of. existence,- they & then be called upon to pay much more for what they required. I The meeting decided to hold its. next conference in Hamilton,, a proposal to come to Wellington being defeated by some' twenty votes.