DAIRY PRODUCE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 27 January 1927, Page 4

DAIRY PRODUCE

advance in quality. SEASON’S IMPROVEMENT. GREATEST DURING CENTURY. “Suppliers of milk and cream, dairy company directorates and dairy factory managers arc to be congratulated’on the improvement which has been effected m the quality of our butter and cheese graded for export this season. With this statement Mr W. M. Singleton, director of the Dairy Division, introduced his address delivered at Patea yesterday before the annual conference of the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Dairy Factory Managers’ Associa“lt is recognised,’’ he continued, “that this improvement has not been brought about without effort. Many of those concerned have been preparing tor the big push forward fo! some time, ■j jid the praiseworthy results which are in evidence this season are due to efforts which pertain not 'only to this season, but, in a number of instances, to plans laid and partially devefoped during' the first six months of the last calendar year.y “Those concerned in the. improvement which has been so manifest have shown something oi what can be accomplished by united effort. There appears to be a greater disposition on the part of suppliers to deliver improved

milk and cream, and factory managers and assistants have given more care and attention to the manufacture of these raw materials into high-class butter and cheese. There appears to be less inclination to unduly hurry the manufacture and, inasmuch as there is now plenty of labour available, dairy factory managers are, I presume, in a better position to see that , the work of manufacture receives justice. STIMULATING FACTOR. < f The imorovement in manufacture has been noticed more particularly with respect to cheese. The bringing in of the grade for ‘finest’ with its minimum of 281 points for body and texture has evidently provided, the neeessary stimulus to give the make more of the attention it deserves, just as the differential price advances of the Dairy Produce Board havo provided the necessary stimulus to suppliers for the improvement of the milk and cream. ‘ ‘ The cumulativn effect of these endeavours is indicated by the comparative grading figures for the AugustDecember period of the present and preceding season. Inasmuch as the cheese side of the industry is of paramount importance in this district, let us survey the cheese figures first. You will recall that when we adopted the finest grade last spring, we stated that 92$ point quality would be brought into that citLSS. y 3 SEASONS COMPARED. Giving comparative figures relating to cheese grading and the respective percentage of the whole during the fivemonthly periods of 1926 and 1925, Mr Singleton showed that in the latter year 92$ points plus were obtained by 31.38 per cent, of the whole, 90 and under 92 were obtained by' 64.24 per cent, and under first grade was given to 4.37. In 1926 finest was obtained by 55.08 per cent., first grade by 41.91 per cent., and under first grade was given to 3 per cent. This showed that about one-third of the second grades hand been improved to first grades or finest. The advance was no doubt to some extent due to certain factories so improving their quality as to have practically cut out second grades entirely. Also, it must be considered that there was the splendid quality of about 24 per cent, of our total cheese raised from first or second grade pointings into the class for finest. This had been done despite tlie actual stiffening of the grade consequent upon the recognition of a 28$ point body being required as a minimum for finest grade. ‘ ‘ The position with respect to the butter side of the industry, while showing a most gratifying improvement, does not evidence it to the same degree, principally, I Ivelieve, because butter manufacture had not previously departed from orthodox methods to the extent which characterised the cheese position in some districts,” continued

Mr Singleton. In a comparison similar to that given in respect of cheese, he showed that about a quarter of the second grade butter had been sufficiently improved to be included in first grade or finest, and that about .12 per cent, of the total butter had improved from first or second grade to finest, making the increase in finest approximately 13 per cent, of the total butter graded during the August-December periods. NOTED BY PURCHASERS. ' That the improvement in New Zealand produce had been noted in markets of the United Kingdom was indicated by a cablegram received less than a week previously from Mr W. Wright, inspector of New Zealand dairy produce in London, which stated that butter. flavours had shown an appreciated improvement, while cheese flavours had also shown improvement, being much more uniform in that respect. Mr Wright had the impression, however, that if the cheese were of close texture a higher price could be commanded. Mr Singleton said further that it would appear as if the season’s improvement, which ha believed ■was the greatest in any one season during the current century, had come at a very opportune time. Much of New Zealand butter made during the 1925-2 G season was held for longer periods than usual prior to reaching the retailer. The Dominion butter trade had received at least one blockage on the result of marketing stale butter. Some of it had been more than twelvo months old when it went to the retailers, and it would take a superior quality v to obliterate in a minimum of time the unfavourable impressions so caused. BETTER STORAGE REQUIRED. During recent years Canadian cheese appeared to have gained something over New Zealand in comparative price; Part of this was doubtless due to New Zealand having to find customers for the tremendous increase in the quantity exported, whereas Canada- had merely exported sufficient to maintain old connections. From Mr Grainger’s report it would also appear that Canadian cheese received better storage treatment in the United Kingdom than the New Zealand produce. He considered Mr Graingr’s report to be exceedingly valuable and would, Mr Singleton hoptreatment for the New Zealand article, ed. be the means of securing better -'lf our cheese could get at Home,” he said, “ treatment comparable with its treatment in .New Zealand, we should be in a much better position to lessen the margin between prices for New Zealand and Canadian cheese. We should 1 not relax economical endeavours to-

wards bettering the position while the cheese trade of the United Kingdom is paying more money for imported Cheddar cheese from’any other country than is being paid for New Zealand. If the Dairy Produce Board can ensure good conditions for our cheese from the time they leave the home steamer until they go to the retailer, and we, as manufacturers do our best at this end, it is my opinion that when the general position becomes more stabilised the Home trade will recognise that there is no country forwarding a larger proportion of uniformly well made, good keeping, sound flavoured cheese than New Zealand.” Mr Singleton concluded his address with an outline, of cream grading requirements as given in his previously published article on the subject.