THE CHEESE INDUSTRY

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 118, 16 May 1912, Page 6

THE CHEESE INDUSTRY

REVIEWED BY A FARMER

The cheese industry was the au'>-! ject of remark by Mr W. How^r l Booth, president of the WairaraTKi ! and East Coast P. and A. Society, during the course of his address wi the annual meeting. The curron;season, said Mr .Booth, will e^ily prove a record one, both in res pec v of quality of cheese mr,nr.i'aotnr.;'l and prices obtained. Although too earlier spring, on account oi cold ; windy and wet weather, was none t;,.-. favorable for. milk production, -yet the shoAvery weather experienced throughout, til© whole of, the season had been of immense benefit to the dairy farmer and the industry. Bio prices obtained on the London market for cheese had ranged from 68s tc 78s 6d, «s compared with 55s to fr'S Q-\ for the preceding' season. On account of the strike recently experienced in the mining industry n; •Great- Britain and the consequent shrinkage in the spending power .y the masses, prices hrd now decreased. ■Mr. Booth quoted., the following statement showing the available stocks, of' Canadian cheese existing on November 30 of each year fov govfii v^rs:—l9os, 1,000,80® crates; 1906 1931,146; 1907, 732,121; 1908, 70* ,009/ 1909, 733,294; 1910, 708,270; 1911 478,111. The decrease in the British make.of cheese, he said, was :,umothing like 40 per cent, on the preceding year's make, which clear ly showed that the prices obtained V.r cheese were quite legitimate, »:ul not. the result of tho actions ••>'. speculators. . The shortage of cheese imported by Great Britain for the period oi March 1, 1911, to. February 29, 1913. wavi 7336 tons. The,, quantity of che"*-expo-rted 'by New Zetland o tor th"..s year showed an increase or 12 per cent, to date. - The total imports of cheese into the United Kingdom from, all sources from October 1 to March 9 during tho last five years, were as follows:—1908, 957,502 cwt.; 1909, 932,959 cwt- ; 1910, 994,721 cwt.; 1911, 1,008,^75 cwt.; 1912, 939,265 cwt. On account of the high price ruling for cheese during the last five yesn;, and the corresponding high prices paid for- butter-fat, as compared witiprices paid to farmers supplying nnik to butter factories and creameries, :t was expected that quite a. number <.' butter factories woukl in.st.al cheese plants during the coming year. jNevZefvland, raid Mr Booth, would bo ultimately a cheese-making coantvy, and so long as every care wns taken by the farmer and the manufacturer, iind only the best cheese exported, a good' market p.nd the highest prices 11, would always be obtained1. Another important factor to be seriously considered by directors was the manufacture of casein and whey butter. Th© Dairying Division ■ of! the Itepvirtment of ' Agriculture recognised the importance of this brs-nch of the industry, viz., the better and1 mo'V profitttble utilisation of the/ by-pro-ducts, iand he had no doubt whoa some obstßoley now existing to.-o overcome, "■more attention won'd given to this brn,nch. The .Dalefield farmers were to be congratulated <>v. their connection with 'a. firm ot produce morclvaate whose managing director had generously donated Vi the company one of his puve-oivMt Ayrshire bulls'to be delivered free *'-*•' Wellington. This splendid gift ihouid-. stimulate the farmers to continue tKe good work, effected _by the tfestin^ associations, and give the _ farmers opportunity of improving their herds "I congratulated the farmers of thi.> : district" laiit year on irdhering to tl.e open consignment policy in the '.;£- ---1 posal of their cheese," concluded the chairman, "and when_ the finnl pigments aire made for milk for the current' season the farmers will have »-o ' reason to complain that the'syftteoi has been again strictly maintained.''