The Hawera Star.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1924. GRADING OF DAIRY PRODUCE
Delivered every evening Dy 8 o'clock to Hawera, Manaia. Normanby Okaiawa, Eltham, I’ateti, Waver ley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meret-jere, Fraaer Hoad. and 0 taken*. Manulabi, Alton, Hurley ville, Maugatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake,
in this issue we publish a letter which xaises some points oi vital importance to ali connected with the dairy industry . it concerns the question of grading and the proposed raising or the points dividing first from second grade up to 90 from the present standard of 88. We suppose that no country in the world engaged in the export of dairy pioduce takes greater care than New Zealand in the matter of grading, and the men employed at the work a're experts, capable of deciding most accurately the various points required in butter and cheese. Behind them are the factory managers and their staffs who take the keenest interest in their work and spend much thought upon producing butter and cheese of the best quality from the supplies of milk brought daily to the factories from the farms. Ihat New Zealand ha* been able to reach a leading position on the London markets testifies to the excellent work of the factory managers and the graders, ami it is tue desire of all who want- the Dominion to maintain its position that dairy produce qf the best quality shall be sent to the Home markets. But as our correspondent shows, if the grading points are raised there will be more second grade produce sent forward, and because of the lower price that retailers will pay for it there will he some loss to the exporters. We are not competent to say whether or not 88 is a sufficiently high line of demarcation, for that is the experts’ province, but w;e do know that there are differences of opinion being expressed as to the ■wisdom or otherwise of raising the figure another two points. Were pieces of cheese of 88 point grading and of 90 point- grading mixed up and given to a number of people to eat, we very much doubt if, after they had eaten it, they could say with any degree of accuracy which was the higher graded.
There is therefore an important point in what our correspondent says regarding the allotting of points for fiavour of cheese. As is well known, cheese generally improves with age, and it may be that some which is classed as second grade may, during its transport to London, improve and may reach there in a condition equal to first grade. The question of grading marks, it can easily be seen, is one which should receive careful thought by all connected with the industry, and before the standard is raised the various points for and against merit much consideration. The need for keeping the quality of dairy produce up to the highest standard is widely recognised in the Dominion, for in the next few years competition in the Old Country markets is expected to become keener, and increasingly heavy supplies will be sent from Siberia and South America. Such competition, it is thought, will lead tto lower prices, and it is necessary for New Zealand to be prepared to meet these by increasing her production and securing her market by maintaining the produce at the highest quality. Insofar as the raising of the grading points would lead to a marked improvement in the quality the proposal would be good, but it is questionable if, under the present conditions, much more can be done to raise the quality. Concentration upon increased production of an articl of the high quality which has been so favourably reported upon seems to be more necessary than the raising of the line separating first from second grade in cheese, though in butter the position may he different. The highest grading in butter is advocated by those closely connected with the industry, but they do not view a higher grading line for cheese as favourably. The subject is one upon which expert opinion is required, especially in view of the important statements made by Mr. G. H. Buckeridge at the annual meeting of the Kakaramea Dairy Company, whose product has been of very high grading for a long time past. Mr. Buckeridge’ s statements, made upon information from hie firm in London, seem to provide an argument against aiming at cheese of a grade higher than 91L “The cheese which was most in demand in the Old Country was that which was graded from 90 to 91-L The cheese grading higher than that was not better.” The matter is one providing plenty of material for study, and we hope that the proposal will be very fully gone into bqfore a change is made.
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Bibliographic details
Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 22 August 1924, Page 4
Word Count
797The Hawera Star. FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1924. GRADING OF DAIRY PRODUCE Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 22 August 1924, Page 4
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