SCIENCE AIDS DAIRYING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 5 November 1929, Page 5

SCIENCE AIDS DAIRYING.

TUB HAWERA LABORATOin. a FINE RECORD OF GROWTH. A strong appeal was made at a nice, ,ng ot tlie Rotary Club in New PU mouth yesterday b- Mr P. O. Veale, scientist at the Hawera Laboratory, a. -operation of the companies in North Taranaki with those in the south as members of the federation in Taranaki. Mr Veale paid a tribdte to the preliminary worn done by the proprietary companies, the help given by the Depart of Agriculture and the Government, and added that it was to meet unforeseen troubles that the laboratory in Hawera had been lounded. The laboratory was unique in that as far as the speaker knew it was the only establishment of its kind that had been founded entirely by co-operation. A recent visitor to New Zealand, Sir Frank It. mm stated tliat it was the truest example of the genuine co-operation that no Had ever seen.

He traced tlie steps by which -progress had been made, starting as he did iour years ago from bedrock, and gradually increasing the equipment. me first season of the laboratory’s was the 192-5-26 one. Very little could be done that season -as by tiie time the apparatus- had been orderim and had arrived the season was half over. However, 1500 samples were received during the season for anai.\.... and examination. in the following season approximately samples were received for analysis, tne wnole of the work being undertaken ~ip speaker and one assistant. In c i i/J i -28 season tne number of samples received for examination increased to nearly 10,000. As an indication q 1 the work entailed, he might state that a single sample of casein curd required seven different examinations, and a single sample of water seven or mg. examinations-. In tne fourth year the number of ~,lo* received for examination was a lew short of 20,000. At the present time the laboratory was handling more samples per week titan during the whole of tlie first year. A pleasing feature was that there was no compulsory routine collection of samples. The samples were ail submitted voluntarily by factory managers who wanted investigations made.

When tne laboratory started 17 companies, representatives of 40 factories and branch factories, were parties to the scheme. During the ensuing four years none of these companies had withdrawn, but the membership had grown to 42 companies representative Qf over 100 factories and branch factories. Mr VeaJe paid a glowing tribute to the work of the factory managers in Taranaki than whom, he said, there was no finer body of men in the world, but when emergencies arose they had to call in the aid of the laboratory. He referred to tne preventive measures organised at various factories, by examination of all file milk from time to time; to the supply of pure starter cultures; by which factories ,had beefi enabled to secure outstanding results; to the tests made and published into the relative merits of different types of milk for cheese making, his point being that much of the New Zealand cheese as it went on tlie London market was too rich in fat, while consumers in England paid more attention to taste, Keeping qualities, appearance and other points, .and to the grading of milk lor cheese making, finest first or second grade, and adopted by several companies. Mr Veal© said, in conclusion,, that the laboratory was run by the Taranaki Federation, and while at present the factories in South Taranaki made the bulk of those associated with the -scheme, it was hoped to link up the whole province. He said the institution was out for the good of the industry, and the members of that industry must stand or fall together.