CHEESE FACTORIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 April 1937, Page 2

CHEESE FACTORIES

YIELD AND PAYMENTS. 1 [pep, press association.] I WELLINGTON, April 16. Commenting further on the differen- ’ tial price payable for- cheese as compared with butter, the Hon. W. Lee ’ Martin, Acting-Minister for Market--1 ing, said to-day that payments made r by cheese manufacturing companies to their suppliers from the proceeds of I the sale of their cheese at the present - guaranteed price are governed large--5 ly by tihe cheese yields of the individual companies. “I have noticed that the amount of J cheese made to each pound of hutter- ’ fat received varies among the- cheese 3 manufacturing companies from 2.45 ' pounds to 2.75 pounds, because of the varying butter- ? fat content of the milk received, by 1 cheese companies,” said the Minister. - “This wide range in cheese yields 1 draws attention to the general ques- ’ tion of the suitability of the milk re- *• ceived by the factories for cheesemaking. I am aware that this is a 3 highly controversial subject, but I e mention it to indicate the likely cause of some cheese .companies being un- • able to pay their suppliers a. margin of f lid per lb. butter-fat above the price

c * for butter. It should be observed h that on a. given price for cheese, the e company with a cheese yield of 2-55 e will pay its suppliers 5d per lb. buttera fat more than the company with a (1 yield of 2.45. To give an instance, a e certain company receives cheese-milk u of a butter-fat test of approximately 3.7 per cent., which gives the com- *' panv a cheese yield which probably reaches 2.7. On this yield and with , e equal costs and price of cheese this “ company should pay its supplier at least lid per lb. butter-fat more than would he the case with a. cheese yield V j 2 45.” cl The Minister added that the Government recognised that the increase m workers’ wages affected eheese-ntal

ing costs to a greater extent uu> butter-making costs. He uigod . directors of cheese-making companies not to change to the manufacture ol butter and assured them that cam would bo taken that their price mat gin per lb. of butter-fat would he ade ■ quate. INCREASE IN PRODUCTION ’ WELLINGTON, April 16. - An increase of 6.815 tons of buttei r and 3,221 tons of cheese is shown u i the exports of New Zealand dairy pro ’ duce for the eight months ot the -cm rent season to March 31, as compaiei with those for the corresponding ? period of 1935-36. 1 The shipments of butter during . March totalled 14,475 tons, and tlu . shipments of cheese 9,223 tons. Tlu • shipments of butter from Austialu 2 to the' United Kingdom this seasoi ’ show a. substantial decrease. For the . eight months ended March 31. Ihe I-[shipments totalled 51.450 tons, as com : pared with 73,574 tons for the corre > spending period of last season. '1 m s decrease is slightly over 30 per cent The shipments of butter from Austra 3 lia to Britain last month were only - 6,466 tons, as compared with 11.05 t i tons for March, 1936. Shipments of cheese from Austra - lia. to the United Kingdom for the ’ eight months were 4,548 tons, com ■ pared with 4.884 tons for the corre spending period of last season. i