THE CHEESE INDUSTRY

Hawera Star, Volume L, 11 February 1931, Page 12

THE CHEESE INDUSTRY

(To the Editor), Sir, —One© again I would like to draw jour readers’ attention to the market quotations for cheese on th© British market. The prices are 77s to' 80s per cwt. for Canadian, 52s to 54s for New Zealand, and for British farmers’ cheese 100 sto 106 s per cwt. Now surely we have arrived at a time when some straight talking is necessary. There is no need for this wide difference. New Zealand has natural advantages which no other country in the world 'possesses, and everything is in favour of New Zealand exporting some of the best of cheese procurable. Then why not do so? In our local dairy factory these figures mean a loss of £26,000 per annum, and to each supplier to tfie cheese branches a dead loss of £i per cow per month all the year round. At a time 'like the present these amounts would be a very welcome addition to the farmers’ monthly cheques. Some large cheese factories in Taranaki have decided to change over from cheese-making to buttermaking, which means that a large number of factory employees will be sacked, and they will go to swell the already large number of unemployed, simply because the New Zealand farmers are a set of fools who follow Mr. Singleton’s advice which they can now see will be the ruination of this valuable industry. From the above quotations it will be seen that Britain is quite prepared to pay a good price for a good article, but New Zealand dairy factories now admit that they cannot supply cheese to suit the British taste, and their action in turning over to the manufacture of butter at a time when Britain is offering IOOs to 106 s per cwt. for first grade cheese, and 77s to 80s for second grade cheese proves that these companies admit they cannot deliver th© goods. When the Tokaora test was. taken with the object of finding out which was the most suitable breed of cattle for cheesemaking, Mr. Veal© pointed out what outstanding cattle the Friesians and Ayrshire® were, and lie also pointed out how these breeds were penalised by the present system of payment. Although the matter has been discussed, and petitions have been sent to the Department of Agriculture and the Director of the Dairy Division, these jiiqii stoutly refused to listen to any argument in favour of a revised system of payment. Now we see the result Those farmers' who have spent thousands of pounds in erecting rip-to-date cheese factories are now going to use them as monuments of their foolishness through trying to make cheese from Jersey cattle, and unless a revised system of payment is arranged the factories will become permanent monuments. If New Zealand is going to make a cheese that will compete in the. British market and gain first grade price, can New Zealand afford to penalise the lower-testing breeds, or what are known as the white milk breeds —Shorthorn, Ayrshire and Friesian? These are the breeds that Britain uses to make first grade cheese, and the breeds that have won all honours at the Fimoire Dairy Show held in London. New

Zealand farmers have been using what arc known as the yellow milk breeds — the Jersey and Guernsey that have proved a failure at every test that was

ever undertaken in different parts of the world for cheese-making. The New South Wales Government has recently conducted a test to find out which breed of cattle is the most suitable for cheese-making, and Mr. A. B. Shefiton, senior dairy instructor of New South Wales, states that his opinion is that a milk containing .3.2 butter-fat and 2.8 to 3.0 solids nob fat is the ideal milk to make good, sound firm body cheese. Now this is where the New Zealand cheese fails. I presume Mr. Shelton knows what lie is writing about, and I presume that the breed was the Friesian, as no other breed can produce 3.0 solids. On several occasions the farmers have made a sincere effort to save the industry, only to be side-stepepd by Mr. Singleton. Last winter 500 fanners met at Hamilton to try to put the industry on a better foot, but Mr. Singleton had other plans, and he spent most of his time trying to belittle Mr. Veate’s great work. Mr. Singleton did not: like -Mi 1 . Veale to tell the farmers the truth. Then, again, when the Dairy Produce Board recommended the Department of. Agriculture to 1 prohibit standardised cheese, this was side-

tapped, although the voting at the board’s meeting was nine in favour of nrohibiting standardised cheese to two who wanted to continue. The Taranaki Federation of Co-operative Dairy Factries also tried to get the Director of the Dairy Division to co-operate with it to devise a revised system of payment. Mr. Singleton refused to have anything to do with the suggestion, and preferred to legalise the making of standardised cheese. With what result? New Zealand cheese o2s per cwt. Ts Mr. SingJleton proud of his handiwork? The following is an extract from the “Dairy Produce Exporter’.’ of Septem-I her, 19.?-'}: “Mr ’Winks reported that, arising out of the research investigations conducted by Mr P. (). Voale under tho auspicies of the Taranaki Federation of Co-operative Dairy Factories. a comprehensive report had been drawn up dealing with the subject ot t he basis of payment made for butter-, fat used, for cheese-making purposes, and the incorporation of excess butterfat in cheese from the use of hightesting milk'. According to this report there was a difference of from 2d to M per Jb in the economic return to the disadvantage of tho supplier of lowtesting milk as against the supplier of high-testing milk; further, the product where high-testing milk was largely used was apt to be higher in butter-fat content than was necessary for a high--grade article. The federation had conceived the idea that a useful purpose would bo served lip a general confer-1 cnee amongst tho leaders of the dairy industry on these two subjects, and with that end in view had approached tho N.Z. Co-op. Dairy Co., Ltd., Professor Riddet, of Massey College, and the Director of the Dairy Division, all of whom were agreeable to a conference with the exception ef tho Director ot the Dairy Division, who considered that tho Dairy JJonrd, which had requested an investigation into the question of the . standardisation of milk might be prejudiced bv his taking part therein prior to reporting on such a question.” From this it will be seen that tho Taranaki Federation cf Cooperative Dairy Factories was fully alive to the necessity of a. revised system ol payment at cheese factories, but anything in the nature of a. just payment does not suit Mr Singleton, although ho must know that the only course to save the industry is by tho system of payment. It is no use to veil farmers they are working on wrong lines i| they are paid to go wrong, and although the (•ovornment proposes, to spend L20.()().') per annum on research " ork what use will that lie unless it can devise some system of payment that will encourage the farmer to solid the light class of milk ter cheese-making? The present unjust system lias been in use lor many years, and each year the quality of cheese gets worse. Many dairy farmers seem to think that a return to lower-testing milk would mean lower production. If they would only

take the trouble to look into the figures in connection with the Tokaora test, when the three herds were running on the famous Waimate Plains within a few miles of one another, they would find that the Friesians produced 1(10 per cent, more cheese per acre than the Jerseys which certainly does not look as if production would suffer. In some quarters it has been stated that the test was not worth a. rap, and that it was unjust, etc., but if that was the case surely the farmer who conducted the test on behalf of the Jersey herd would be the judge. If there had been anything underhand or unjust in the test, would the Jersey breeder, Mr H. E. Batten, have gone to the Friesian breeder at the completion of the test, and purchased a, Friesian bull for use! in his Jersey herd? That action of Mr) Batten’s puts the “hall mark” on the/ greatest test that was ever undertaken in any part of the world, which Lord Bledisloe describes as the most

complete work lie has ever seen on the subject, and lie expressed a. wish to meet Mr Veale, the scientist who con-

ducted the test

Another very important point is that New Zealand is a very long way from the only market we can depend on, so that the breed that can produce i cheese that will stand the long voyage and the difference in climate on arrival is what is wanted in New Zealand. The following is an extract from Mr. Veale’s report: “Again, oil comparing the April performances of the two extreme breeds, the Friesian and the Jersey, we observe that whereas the Friesian has maintained first grade in London for the whole month, and moreover contains two shipments which have actually improved on the voyage Home, the Jersey has not only all deteriorated, hut is all second

oracle in London, with strong comment against the existence of greasiness and butter sacs. This is ample proof of the fact that autumn cheese-making with milk of high fat content is a triple mistake, not only on account of the low yields per lb of butterfat, and of the high fat losses in the whey, but also because a product is made which is unsatisfactory to the market for which we cater. With convincing

acts lilce the above, .surely it. is time to remove the penalty on the lower testing breeds if New Zealand is to regain her lost reputation.” At the present time unemployment is the most serious question confronting New Zealand and many other countries. With such difficulties to

uxce, can we afford to make “splendid openings’’ for our rival countries? New Zealand lost her beef trade through the indolence ol‘ the Department of Agriculture, which cost the country millions. Can New Zealand afford to lose her cheese industry through the same cause? It is now four years since the Tokaora test was conducted, and Mr. Veale told the New Zealand farmers that they must return to lower testing breeds of rattle. ( A lmt progress has the industry made since then? Standardising has been tried, and the director of the Dairy Division was not slow in getting the necessary legislation through Parliament making it legal. The British merchants have shown clearly that they want a square deal and that standardised cheese is no I good for the trade. If Britain wants I rolcl, send her gold; don’t think that! if you send polished brass you will get the price of gold, even if you brand the orate “pure gold.” If the Jersey beef had been branded “prime New Zealand beef” would that have won back the beef trade ? If the Department of Agriculture and the Dairy Division would only be loyal to the > country that pays them, and stop I penalising farmers who supply just wliat is needed for making the finest cheese in the world, matters would soon right themselves. It is no use for them to go on as at present, simply making fine openings for the Canadians and Russians.—l am, etc., HENRY JOHNSON. Stratford.