DAIRY CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12608, 24 June 1904, Page 6

DAIRY CONFERENCE.

><;;.<• : .>--; ■■;'> * , ; . INTERESTING PAPERS. [bt ipxtajGHAFn.— ASSOCIATION'.] ' P\Lin:r.fTON North, Thursday. At the Dairy Conference to-day the ActingDairy Commissioner, Mr. Cuddie, read, a paper, in idiich he reviewed the season's pro- • gress. ; "He said in jno time in the history of ,the dairy industry of . New ; Zealand had the standard .of quality in creamery butter reached such "a" high degree of excellence as during the 1903-4 season. ::; Returns : recently compiladiihowed-that the percentage of first-: grade butler shipped to.the United Kingdom during th«. period under review amounted to 97J per cent. :>, Of this quantity 30,000 boxes were ; scored by f the graders, 94£ points or ov»r out of the possible 100. In almost \ every! case : the butter, ; which scored: high at this' end, maintained its choice ' flavour throughout. : j There was little doubt, that ; the t;progress of >: the dairy industry would have received a very serious-check except for : the condition in which the bulk of the produce arrived in London: It was ; well to remember that there was still a wide field for further improvement in butter manufactured at a large number ot our factories, especially< in the matter of ;flavour. What was required was more uniformity in flavour. In order "to bring this about it would tbe necessary to far® the question of pasteurisation- The .weakest spot in the industry of the colony was the inferior condition in which some of the milk was delivered at the factories. When a careless f farmer: was taught what neglect meant in £ s. d., then he would rapidly improve. > 1 Mr. Singleton; dairy instructor, said, according Ito the: Customs returns, the cheese exports this year showed an increase of about 12,000cwt, valued ¥at over £25,000. : Considering , that ■■ the f estimated; stocks rof old ■cheese on hand in Britain and Canada were fat the beginning of the present seitaon much larger than usual, the present low prices were a distinct advantage since the consump- : tion - would? be stimulated, and $>ld stocks worked off all -the earlier. ;: j The future of the cheese' industry in New Zealand was to a certain oxtent wrapped tip with the labour, problem, and at presentthere was a difficulty in getting that class oplabour which dairymen required. . > -;;. The lecturer urged . makers to make greater efforts in the manufacture of Cheddar cheese for Britain's market. This season th«re seemed evidence of a greater tendency to lower ; the wages of managers. This was a, short-sighted policy. Mr. Singleton said that in the past the quality ot New i Zealand's produce had been improved and maintained by Government grading and instruction, but in future it would be necessary to educate the less progressive milk suppliers. This offered a large field of work, but that work could only be accomplished through the true co-operation of the, manager and milk supplier. "