GRADING OF CREAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19927, 21 April 1928, Page 13

GRADING OF CREAM.

DAIRY COMPANY'S OFFENCES. ALTERATIONS MADE IN OFFICE. MAGISTRATE IMPOSES FINES. Eight charges of grading cream above its actual value were admitted in the Police Court yesterday by the Taupiri Dairy Company, Ltd. (Mr. Leary). Mr. W. R. McKean, S-M-, was on the bench. Mr. Hubble, who appeared for the Department of Agriculture, said the prosecution was the first of its kind in Auckland, and was brought under the Dairy Industry Act, the object of which was to improve the quality of butter throughout New Zealand. This was accomplished by a system of grading cream received at all factories -into finest, first and second grades. The regulations also provided that the grading should be done by a licensed grader, whose certificate was subject to the control of the department. At the present time finest grade cream was worth a lb. more than first grade, and first grade was worth Id a lb. more than second grade, the regulations providing for differential payments by the factory to the for each. In the present case two partners were farming near Hunua. Part of the milk was sent to the Taupiri Dairy Company's factory and part to the New Zealand Dairy Company. They were both somewhat surprised when what they considered to be the poorer quality cream sent to the Taupiri Company received a higher price than the other. As a result of this unusual position an officer of the department visited the defendant company's factory and examined the stage book. In this was made the first grading entry after the receipt of cream in the factory. Detection Difficult. However, it was found that in a number of cases, while the Hunua suppliers' cream had been graded quite correctly in the stage book, the cream had been raised a grade in the permanent entry made in the office book. In seven instances croam had been classed as first grade in the stage book and finest grade in the office book, while in one case the office book showed cream recorded as second grade in the stage book as first grade. "The object of all this, I submit, would be that the defendant company would attract custom from other dairy companies," Mr. Hubble said. "It would have to pay more, but would obviously be pr?.pared to do it in order to get the business. The company is particularly in default because there was no mistake about the grading. The cream was graded correctly in the first instance in accordance with the regulations, but later there was an alteration and falsification in the office of the company. The breach is very difficult to detect, and it was really only by chance that the practice was revealed in this case " The Facts Admitted. Mr. Leary admitted the facts, but stated the remarks and criticisms of Mr. Hubble were unfair. The regulations stated all cream had to be graded as soon as it was received in the factory. It was therefore obvious that if the same man regraded certain cream five minutes after the first test, he would be likely to give it a different value. There were always borderline cases in which the grade of cream was not obvious. In any event the company paid out only 9s 7d more to the partners through the alteration, of the grades. No one suffered but the company, and no harm had been done. Mr. Leary said if a producer appears to be tiying honestly to improve the quality of his cream it is sometimes worth while to give him some encouragement by giving him a higher grade. " If cream may be graded by the dairy companies as they like simply because they feel inclined to encourage a poor fjroducer, then the regulations are absoutely useless and purposeless," Mr. Hubble said. "The best butter cannot be produced from the worst cream, and the whole object of this particular part of the regulations is to encourage the production of high-class butter." The company was fined £l, with costs £4 ss, on the first charge, and 10s, with costs 15s, on each of the others, the fines totalling £4 10s, with costs £9 10s.