CASEIN AND EASTERN TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 56, 8 March 1937, Page 8

CASEIN AND EASTERN TRADE

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Some considerable time ago I pointed out that casein even at £50 a ton was in a fair way to being as valuable as butterfat. I also mentioned that the Government of the day was so little interested in the subject that the only information in the dairy report was 2£ lines. Casein is now worth about £70 a ton. There is just about as much casein in the skim milk as there is butterfat in milk. The price speaks for itself. Taranaki factories are now turning to casein. The Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Act will give many farmers a larger' income, and the increased income will to a certain extent be used in manure and in increasing the productive value of the farms. Hence there will be increased production in times when we have difficulty in disposing of our surplus products. Increased wages bills have to be met. The value of milk must, if possible, be increased to the farmer. It would appear that the farmer must turn to all possible outlets for his products if he is to make his farm pay. Is anything being done to take full opportunity of the chance to increase our production of casein?

It pays other countries to send away a low grade of casein. Is it possible by any scientific process to separate the casein from the skim milk on the farm?- No doubt it may result in a lower grade. But if some fairly simple process could be used which would not involve much labour, and which would enable us to do away with a large part of the cartage it is possible it would pay us. The value of the skim milk docs not usually represent a very large amount as pig food, in proportion to the value of the butter-,

fat produced—perhaps one-fifth. A ( second-grade casein might be worth considerably more than that.

The Government is to be congratulated upon the fact that a Dutch line of steamers is to run here from Java. It must be remembered, however, that Java produces a considerable amount of dairy products and even exports to Holland. Further, Java is many hundreds of miles from say Burma, .India, and China. The Australian farm products trade with the Pacific and the East is now said to be . on the £2,000,000 mark. Her butter is as valuable as ours. It pays Australia to export. Would it not also pay us? Australia's trade in dried milk, etc., was worth £750,000 in the Pacific and the East in 1933. Why not send our milk there? We do not need cool storage for all farm products. Australian rashers of bacon are worth 2s 4d retail in Singapore, Irish butter 2s sd. The Dutch think it worthwhile to send their agents here to sell their products. Australia has its own company working in Singapore. What are we doing? When are we going to balance our trade with Eastern countries from whom we buy more than we send in return? Can we reasonably expect native firms to send here for their goods?—l am, etc., J. F. S. BRIGGS.