DAIRY PRODUCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 297, 13 November 1934, Page 5

DAIRY PRODUCE

IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY. ADDRESS BY MR G. M. VALENTINE. Speaking at yesterday’s meeting of the Palmerston North Rotary Club on impressions he had gathered in the year he spent in Great Britain, Mr G. M. Valentine, formerly of Palmerston North and now assistant director of the Dairy Division, said that lie had not been disappointed with the quality of New Zealand dairy produce as he saw it, but added that there was room for improvement. He said that the New Zealand manufacturers had done very well in attaining the quality they had, considering the number of factories involved and the long period of storage which had to be overcome.

The chair was occupied by Mr W. S. Carter, the president of the club, who introduced the speaker. In opening his address, Mr Valentine explained the system under which he had been sent to England, whereby officers of the Dairy Division gained knowledge of conditions as they affected New Zealand dairy produce there and could return to the Dominion more fully equipped in regard to a complete understanding of the affairs of the industry. Great confidence was expressed in the efficiency of the grading of New Zealand dairy produce bv thcbuyers in London, he said. They relied on the grading of our produce and he had been told by one prominent merchant that the quality of New Zealand and Australian butter, as it was shown, was accepted without question. Apart from routine work, visits had been made by the speaker to Tooley Street merchants, while he had also made visits to many branch offices of London firms. Men who came to New Zealand told us, just as they told others in Australia and South Africa, what they were doing for our produce. It had to be remembered that they were not dealing only with New Zealand produce. They were in business and would deal with all where it was I advantageous for them to do so. STRONG OPPOSITION. The speaker said he bad seen butter from 16 countries in all and the merchants could not undertake to sell one country’s butter solely. It was impossible to find every brand in every shop. In going from Inverness to Penzance the _ speaker had visited big and small businesses in all sections of the community. Ho had gone with men who solicited business on behalf of the New Zealand dairy indutsry and had called at 25 shops in one area and only four did not stock New Zealand produce at all. That was so in many areas. The story that people could not buy New Zealand butter under its own name was quite wrong At 75 per cent, of the shops he had visited he had seen butter from boxes from New Zealand on the counter and it was sold for what it was—New Zealand butter. In the early times of our exporting, he had been told by one merchant, people would ask for New Zealand butter with an air of apology. But now they asked for our butter as freely as they would for any other. We came second in regard to quality, but when we considered that only the Danes were able to secure a higher price than we did it said a very great deal for our methods. Not 20 complaints about cheese had been recieved when he had been in England, the speaker continued, and the cheeses which were defective were obviously the result of defective manufacture or accidents. There had been a marvellous betterment in the quality of the New Zealand cheese in the last two years. In the northern area of Britain there had been a great improvement, too. in the amount of butter sold, though that was the stronghold of Danish hutter. One merchant had told him of a 214 per cent increase in his handling of New Zealand butter in two years, and the speaker cited other cases of great improvement in the quantity of New Zealand dairy produce sold by large organisations in the north. The British attitude toward our produce was very pleasing. We had defects, but they could be put right. There was no need to make a song about those defects, said Mr Valentine.

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND.

There had been some preference for Australian butter in some quarters and a Manchester retailer had told the speaker, that he did not cater for the “clog and shawl” trade. His main lines were New Zealand produce, although other produce had to be bought. A Liverpool retailer had told him that he stocked New Zealand butter as the greatest part of the butters he sold, In asking about Australian butter, the speaker had been told than when New Zealand butter was at its best it was bought and when Australian butter wns at its best it war, preferred—similarly with other butters. Our butter was bought when it was freshest and when it became obviously “stored” butter then the merchant bought other supplies which were more fresh. Those men were in business and wanted to sell whatever butter was the best at any particular time. Another retailer had told him that the small difference between the price of New Zealand butter and Australian butter—only one shilling a hundredweight at that time—was the difference to him between success and failure as he was selling at a very low margin of profit. Later, said Sir Valentine, he had had the satisfaction of seeing his informant’s stores selling New Zealand butter when the difference between New Zealand and Australian was about six shillings a hundredweight.

CHEESE IMPROVING. We were now carrying a legacy from some years ago,, when managers had loaded cheese with moisture and then waxed it to keep the moisture in, said Mr Valentine, in touching on cheese quality. There were obstacles to overcome even to-day. It had been stated to him that the New Zealand cheese could not be matured as it opened too much; That also was a legacy of too much moisture. Research was'now being carried on at Palmerston North into openness in cheese. The Danes did not fix the price for their butter, said the speaker in reverting to this product. The butter available was placed on offer on a Monday. A certain amount went, out on contract and the. rest was sold, like ours, by negotiation. Exporters and producers met on the Thursday to fix a quotation and the contract butter w r as sold at that price, plus certain extra charges, of course. That was the price fixation action of which we had heard on occasions. Danish butter prices were affected by the demand and the supply and rises in Danish prices were brought about on many occasions simply by reason of short supply. We had increased our exports to Britain by a larger percentage than the increase of the amount imported and that extra butter had to Ire stored. Wo had quite a lot we could do, said Mr Valentine in conclusion, and we could do a very great deal in New Zealand. Still, we had done much in producing the general high quality we did from so many factories and in overcoming the dangers of the long period of storage necessary. After being in England, and considering those

factors, he was not disappointed in the quality of the New Zealand dairy produce.

A vote of thanks was carried to the speaker by acclamation on the motion of Mr A. J. Phillipps, who commented that it was very refreshing to hear Mr Valentine’s opinions after some others which had been expressed. Visitors welcomed were Professor W. Riddet, Dr F. H. McDowall, Dr H. R. Whitehead, Messrs J. AV. Smith, J. P. McDavitt (Palmerston North), F F O’Grady (Wellington) and G. R. B. Boswell (Feilding).