MARKET FOR CASEIN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 228, 26 August 1932, Page 6

MARKET FOR CASEIN.

POSSIBILITIES IN FUTURE.

AN IMPORTANT EXPERIMENT

The prospects of an improvement in the price of casein this season, and the possibilities of an extended market were made the subject of some comment at the annual meeting of the Wliakarongo Dairy Company last evening, when it was stated that, despite a poor return from the past year’s operations, there were hopeful indications for the future, and it was reported that the use of casein in a process for removing taint from butter box timbers held out great promise. Commenting upon the position of the casein market, the chairman of directors (Mr M. E. Knudsen) said that it had been very disappointing as it had only yielded jd per 11>. of butterfat used during the season. Stocks of casein had been cleared, however, and it was selling very freely at the lower figure. That was some encouragement, and there were hopes of maintaining the market in Germany. There were increased possibilities for casein as the scope of its uses was being extended, particularly as a spray to eliminate the taint in butter boxes made from certain classes of timber.

Mr T. Ranford, a director both of the Wliakarongo Company and the organisation which handled its output of casein, commented that the future for casein, like that for all other commodities, was uncertain, but a healthy sign had been the complete clearance of all stocks.

An experiment of considerable importance to the casein industry was being conducted into the use of casein as a lining for butter boxes made from pinus insignis. Butter had been kept in them for four months, and it remained free of taint at the end of that period. There seemed to be prospects of the development of many new avenues of use for casein. It was being used for the manufacture of piano keys, and had beon suggested for use in machinery railings.