WHAT IS WRONG WITH CHEESE?

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 122, 19 November 1938, Page 8

WHAT IS WRONG WITH CHEESE?

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —I was pleased to see your correspondent, Mr. W. J. Poison, draw the attention of your readers, in your issue of November 14, to the very unsatisfactory position of the cheese industry,, and I hope, Sir, that you will grant me space to answer his question, heading his article, and also to suggest what I consider to be some very necessary reforms in order to improve the quality of our cheese industry. I can assure Mr. Poison that I have been worrying over this industry ever since 1 first started to work in it over twenty years ago. and I have persistently advocated certain reforms all these years. When Mr, Poison visited Denmark some years ago. did he then see any cowshed or pigsty over there in the condition of some in Taranaki? 1 am positive he did not; lor did he see any Danish farmer trying to manage a farm of 100 acres or more, milking from 45 to 50 cows.' besides feeding young stock, fattening pigs and growing all the necessary crops, with the assistance of his wife and a hired youth, as they do in Taranaki? No, Sir, it cannot be done with justice to the people working the farm, nor to the land. livestock, the product, or to the country, as a whole. Mr Poison is incorrect when he says that the Government owns the product, and as it does not worry it appears to be satisfied with the cheese The Government does not own the chees*? until it has been placed on board the- overseas steamer, hence the Government cannot be blamed frvr the actual making of the cheese Ff the Danish Government found any cowshed pigsty, or dairy factory' in ?-n unsatisfactory condition H would immediately prohibit my product bcins; manufactured until everything had received a thorough "leaning up Thif ou-Thf to be done first of all here Secondly, all firstclass land should be cut up into smaller farms. This would give employment to many more men and women on the land, but the farmer should have the

price of hir land reduced to such an extent that he could afford to employ more labour at reasonable wages, and he himself should reap the benefit of his skill, labour, and capital. This has for too long been going into the pockets of the land speculator, and other people who are impeding the working farmer. If Mr. Poison will assist in bringing about the abovementioned drastic but necessary reforms he would soon have no cause to worry about the quality of our cheese. —I am, etc.,

ANGLO-DANE.