DAIRY PRODUCE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 151, 28 June 1935, Page 7

DAIRY PRODUCE

DOMINION'S EXPOET

LONDON END OF INDUSTRY,

QUALITY IMPORTANT

(From "The Post's" Special Reporter.) PALMERSTON N., This Day.

"Some impressions of the London end of the New Zealand dairy industry" was the title of an address given by Mr. George M. Valentine, Assistant Director of the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture, at the National Dairy Conference yesterday.

"As the result of representations made to the Department of Agriculture through motions passed from time to time at meetings of this nature, and by the Dairy Produce Board," said Mr. Valentine, "the decision was reached ia 1931 to send officers of the, DairyDivision to temporarily assist the permanent officers stationed in London. There was at that time a suggestion, that the grading of dairy produce • might not correspond with the requirements of users in Great Britain,, and. it was felt that visits of this nature would help to keep the graders, instructors, and also the industry informed of those requirements. • The experience of those ■ who have • had these opportunities of examining pur own and other dairy produce on. the Home market has been that the-grad-ing is accepted by buyers as indicating the actual quality, and the number of instances in which this is not the case is comparatively few when conditions of marketing are taken into account." GOOD WILL TOWARDS PRODUCE. Mr. Valentine said that in spite of the fact that during the' season 1931-32 cheese discoloration had been troublesome, and that complaints regarding the high moisture content and weak body of much of our cheese, had been frequent in the seasons immediately before it, combined with the low price of all dairy produce during 1932-33,: one was struck on landing in England in December, 1933, with the good will shown towards New Zealand -produce and the absence of criticism. The general opinion expressed on all sides was that a distinct improvement had been made in the quality, of the cheese made during the previous;'. season, which was the one during which all milk was graded,.but no. difference in price was paid. The general feeling might be defined as.a conviction that New Zealand was endeavouring to make quality cheese, and that decision was welcomed. . • •■) ■■:.• The attitude of the trade illustrated the point that all expressions of opinion regarding quality were comparative. Thus a report that the quality of New Zealand produce showed improvement meant that it was better than the accepted standard for New Zealand butter or cheese, which was '-looked upon as filling certain requirements but was still open to further improvements. The opinion expressed would also depend on the interests of the speaker, not so much on a question of quality but on matters such as waxing of cheese, butter, boxes, spreadability of butter, etc.; thus the buyer who purchased cheese to hold in the hope of a rise in price would prefer it,to be waxed, while the buyer who intended to sell it over the counter might prefer It to be unwaxed; " INTERESTS OF IMPORTERS. Perhaps the most difficult adjustment which the New Zealand visitor had to make on arrival in Britain was the realisation of the number of competing countries in the butter, trade, but after seeing butter from perhaps two or ten countries on the same floor,one realised that the merchant concerned had niany interests, to study., Our general practice was to refer to the, number of countries engaged in the export of butter to Great Britain, but it was perhaps more correct to regard it as the number of countries from which British importers had arranged to •; receive supplies, and it,naturally:followed that they must exert tnemselv^s to find buyers for all purchases or'■:,consignments. Under those conditions, one asked, "Whose duty is it to look after the interests of New Zealand?" without detracting from the very fine work done by importers in finding a market for New Zealand's ever-increasing quantities of produce. So far as a limited staff would allow, the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board formed the. link' between the producer in this country and the retailer in Britain and by personal canvass of all shops in any area,in which the demonstrations and windowdressing competitions were.being run, assisted to bring the claims of NewZealand directly under the notice of the man behind the counter. "One had only to accompany one of these canvassers for a short time to • realise that the retail salesman played a: very important part in influencing the attitude of the customer, but . unless the quality was such that he was himself satisfied with it, and that there would be no complaints from the buyer, it was useless to solicit his, interest,,