BUTTERMILK ?OWDER

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1929, Page 7

BUTTERMILK ?OWDER

PLANT IN WHANGAEEI.

DAISY COMPANY’S ENTEEPEISE

An interesting ceremony took place at the W|hangarei Dairy Company’s factory yesterday afternoon, when the directors and several official visitors in jcted the late's! addition • to the company’s up-to-date plant. This is a machine for turning out 'butter-milk powder at the rate of from 401bs to 50lbs per hour. Up to the present, the company has discharged the greater portion of its buttermilk into the river, there being no ineans of utilising it. Now, however, 1 with the new machinery, a valuable product can be turned to profitable use, for butter milk powder is in keen demand as a food for calves and 'pigs, while it is also a palatable and nutritious item of diet for human beings. The company, by pioneering in this matter, has again demonstrated its enterprise* and there is every reason to believe that its revenue will be .considerably increased. The cost of the machinery—between £2500 and £3ooo—will be recouped inside Eve years, for which period a contract to supply the output has been made.

The plant, which greatly interested, the spectators yesterday, consists of a large iron drum, which is revolved at a sot speed by an absolutely silent steam engine. The surface of the drum is heated to a certain temperature. Buttermilk is sprayed on to this drum, and, by the time a -revolution has been made, the milk is denuded of all moisture, and is pared off in flakes by knives which skim the surface of the drum. These flakes are further broken up by beaters in a ‘container, from which they are conveyed to a storage receptacle' pending grinding into powder. The whole operation is simplicity itself, as are so many wonderful achievements of science and invention. . \

After inspecting .the machinery, the directors of the company and their guests adjourned for afternoon tea. The guests were Mr A. 8. Bevins (representing Collis Products Corporation, U.S.A., the makers of the machine), Mr W. Mitchell (Messrs Wright Stephenson and Co., Auckland), G-. Fraser (Messrs Gr. Fraser and Sons, engineers, Auckland). The chairman of directors explained that the machine was that used almost exclusively in America; and so far it had proved very satisfactory. Mr Bevins congratulated the directors on their initiative and enterprise in establishing the first butter-milk powder plant in New Zealand. Mr Mitchell gave details of the butter-milk powder business in, the United States as a basis for stock foods, the present output being about 20,000 tons. He was hopeful that the venture undertaken by the Dairy Company would be the beginning of a large industry iu dairy company byproducts, which at present was for the most part going to waste. Mr Fraser was present with the idea of seeing if a machine of similar capacity could not be built in New Zealand, and so far could see no reason why it could not bo. This was another aspect of the venture moaning employment in the engineering trade. The proceedings were of an enthusiastic nature, and general satisfaction that the production of butter-milk powder had been, commenced.