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Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 161, 27 June 1930, Page 7

EXPORT CHEESE

FALLING OFF IN QUALITY STANDARDISATION BLAMED. CABLE FROM LONDON. Hamilton, Jun® 26. A cablegram received two days ago from London was read at the National Dairy Conference this afternoon and its announcement by the president Mr A. Morton, was the signal for a spirited debate on the jnerits of standardised cheese. Mr. Morton read the following cablegram despatched from London four daya ago;— “At a meeting of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Importers’ Association held hefe today it was unanimously agreed that the New Zealand cheese arriving in the 1929-30 season shows a pronounced general deterioration in quality on previous years. Standardisation has undoubtedly lowered the prestige of New Zealand cheese, resulting in a falling-off of quality which is reflected in consumption and. the consequent lower level of prices In our opinion consumption prices will only be improved by the reversion to full cream cheese.” Mr. Brechin said that many dairymen in New Zealand had reason to doubt the bona tides of the opinion expressed in the cable and that thia opinion was not the unanimous opinion of the merchants as the cable would lead one to believe. Mr. Morton said ho could onlv read the cable as sent. He suggested that they should proceed to discuss methods of improvement. Mr. Carr (Ngaere) said it seemed to him that an attempt was being made from London to stampede New Zealand into the abandonment of standardised cheese. He pointed to the fact that standardised cheese had won some of the highest awards at recent dairy shows in New Zealand, . Mr. T, A Winks, chairman of the Taranaki Federation of Dairy Factories, said that the cable read by the chairman was one of many similar statements received by the Control Board. Dry rot has set in, and unless something was done New Zealand was going to lose prestige on the London market. Many factory managers in Taranaki were of the opinion that there was a difference of two points between the pasteurised and unpasteurised milk for cheese making. Mr. Winks then moved the following resolution: “That this meeting recommends the institution of a system of compulsory levy and payment of premium on cheese according to quality, such levy to be made and the premium paid in groups of factories according to the grading stores, the basis of the scheme to be the grading points and the differential payments suggested by the Director of the Dairy Division.” The discussion is proceeding.