DAIRY RESEARCH

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 16 February 1927, Page 4

DAIRY RESEARCH

.AT AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

EFFECT ON HAWERA “LAB.” LOCAL SCIENTIST’S VIEWS. Mr P. O. Veaie, 8.A., !M.Sc., dairy scientist at the Hawera Dairy Laboratory, was interviewed by a representative of the Hawera Star in connection with a resolution of the Council of the New Zealand Colege or Agriculture, arranging for the formulation of a scheme for the establishment of instructional experiments and research work at Palmerston North in the principles and practice of dairy farming and manufacture, and including (a) acquisition of the necessary live stock; (b) the erection and equipment on the most modern lines of a oomplete butter and cheese factory; (c) the provision of a complete laboratory and an experimental station fully staffed. Mr Veaie ,said that a model dairy factory i s an essential to such, experimental work. A commercial factory used for such purposes would involve t.ie unavoidable use of such tremendous quantities of raw material that experimenting in that way upon butter and cheese would prove extremely costly. In the small, model factory troubles and defects met with in the course of manufacture could be reproduced with the loss of a minimum quantity of material. Vats and churns of a workable size are required; but, nevertheless, they should be sufficiently small to allow of a deliberate manufacture, of defective produce under experimental conditions without undue waste of raw material. It is a common practice, when investigating some defect of butter and v cheese, and after having identified a cause, to reproduce deliberately the defect in order to prove that the true cause has been identified. Thus an experimental factory would require special vats and churns, and a complete sterilising equipment, the latter, feeing necessary in order to destroy completely every’ trace of the various bacterial infections which will be studied. _ For these reasons, it will he almost impossible to adapt any existing factory to the requirements of the Research Council’s work.

Regarding the equipment of an experimental station and laboratory, Mr Veaie said the work would have to b© thoroughly carried , out if _ the desired objective were to be obtained. There were many different branches of investigation required, all of which would call for trained experts and specialised equipment-. To quote the requirements of research into dairying problems alone, there would require to be certain land reservations with live stock including pigs, ana adequate buildings for the production and handling of milk. An engineering department for power and steam, production would ha essential. Finally, there would be the chemical and bacteriological departments with oomplete appointments. “I also consider” continued Mr Veaie, “that a reference library would be an essential, and would' need to be so comprehensive that at least one person would be required to give his whole time to the work of keeping the staff of the experimental station abreast of modern, developments. Such, a library would need to be infinitely more comprehensive than anything to be found in agri cult ureal institutions at present in New Zealand. In itself, the library would require ,n© small expenditure to establish ,and maintain. Tht work of the station would be crippled without such a ilibrqxy, because contact with other centres of research throughout the world is essential to material progress.”, For purposes of comparison, Mr Veaie pointed out that the Hawera laboratory is entirely without land, live stock, or an experimental factory. It is really-,, serving the purpose of investigating the u daily routine problems of the industry, and of finding practical solutions for them. 'This essential service could never be carried on from a distance, and thu® it is not likely that the agricultural college at Palmerston North could ever supplant tins or any otMr laboratory serving a similar purpose. The central laboratory at Palmerston North, however, would be able to carry on research into local problems, having a national significance, and would publish •results of a general nature, having value to the whole of the Dominion. The Hawera laboratory has undertaken, and probably will continue rto_ undertake, work having some Dominion-wide significance: but, quite naturally, its main activities’ must always be 'directed towards meeting the heeds of the district in which it is situated. Most of these needs are so local in character that a national institute such as the one projmsed for Palmerston North could not be expected to devote sufficient of its time to their -solution to give the firmest satisfaction to tho dairying community of Taranaki.