Cheese for Local Use

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 68, 22 March 1935, Page 5

Cheese for Local Use

SUGGESTED CONTROL OF MARKET

A meeting of tho Manawatu and West Coast Dairy Companies’ Association was held at Palmerston North yesterday. Mr. S. A. Broadbelt presided over an attendance which included Messrs J, Boyce, J. Devine, S. E. Algar, 11. C. Bailees, P. Hansen and J. R. Whyte. Correspondence was received from tho Taikorea Dairy Company suggesting that the salo of cheese on the local market bo controlled.

Tho secretary said that he understood that the Produce Board was taking this matter up. There was no reason why cheese should not be dealt with the same as butter, the chairman thought, adding that it was not a suggestion to raise the prico on tho consumer but to remove tho price-cutting which was making cheeso unpayable. Mr. Algar said that tho i suggestion had been forwarded as the farmer could not make much headway on,the present basis.

Mr. Broadbelt said that the Dairy Produce Board, he understood, was going into the matter of local marketing of all dairy produce which, of c&irsc, would include cheese. It was decided to write pointing out the seriousness of tho matter and a letter is to be framed to tho effect that, in regard to the salo of cheese on the local market, the Dairy Produce Board be asked to take immediate steps to control the sale and that the question be treated as urgent.

It was resolved to write to the Minister of Agriculture in regard to tho increased cost of coal to dairy factories. This arose over a request mado by the Taikorea Dairy Company to inquire into tho prices. A letter of appreciation, ovor the eradication of ragwort, is to be forwarded to tho Minister of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture, in reply to a suggestion that in the interests of farmers a certificate of analysis should be required to bo attached to every bag of pollard and wheatmeal sold, advised that a first draft of a Bill to regulate the sale of stock foods had been prepared by the department, including bran and pollard. “Tho question of the extent to which the salo of bran and pollard should bo regulated has proved to be difficult of satisfactory solution, by reason of the difference of opinion which exists regarding tho fixing of reliable and accurate standards for this material, l'u the circumstances a good deal of negotiation will require to be carried out before the department’s proposals in this connection can be finalised, ” stated the letter. —It was explained that tho word wheatmeal had •been substituted for meatmeal in the inquiry made. It was therefore decided to point this out in a further letter to the department, explaining that large quantities of meatmeal for poultry and pig foods was required and it was considered urgent that an analysis of this product on the bags should "be available as soon as possible for fanners.

A notice of motion, by Mr. Algar, was dealt with. Its text was: “That this association strongly recommends the Dairy'Board and the Department of Agriculture to iix 1 lie boundaries of supply for individual factories.”

The mover explained the position and Mr. Boyce seconded. After a lengthy discussion the motion was carried unanimously.