QUALITY OF CHEESE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21577, 23 August 1933, Page 12

QUALITY OF CHEESE

TESTS FOR MILK GRADING REPLY TO CRITICISM DEFENCE OF REGULATIONS [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] HAMILTON, Tuesday A reply wa3 made by tho Minister of Agriculture, Hon. C. E. Macmillan, this evening, to criticism of the department expressed by Mr. P. O. Veale, research chemist, of Hawera, in connection with the framing of the now dairy regulations, particularly in regard to the action of tho dairy division in defeating a proposal to give a choice of three tests to bo applied when grading milk for ehcese-making. Mi'. Vcalo was a member of tho Special Dairy Committee. Speaking at a concert held by tho New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, ,tho Minister said that Mr. Veale claimed that all the research scientists voted in favour of tho choice of three tests and tho vote in favour of tho regulation as it now stood included only practical men, that is, simple laymen. Mr. Veale also took particular exception to the fact that tho department, responsible to the country for the conduct of the industry, exercised four votes and implied that they were the votes of men who had not practised dairy research. Qualifications of Officers This was not correct, said Mr. Macmillan. Dr. C. J. R cakes, himself a scientist with long experience in bacteriology, including dairy bacteriology, and Mr. A. H. Cockayne, who possessed scientific knowledge in a high degree and was well versed in dairy science, accounted for two of tho votes. The other two were_ cast by Mr. W. M. Singleton, the director of tho dairy division, whoso whole career had been spent in milk and dairy problems, and the Minister, who had a long and intimate connection with' dairy factory suppliers and companies' problems. With Mr. Singleton, though not voting, Miis Dr. Moir, a scientist of high repute, whoso training included an extended courso of tlirco years at the National Dairy Research Instituto at Reading,' England. Continuing, Sir. Macmillan said the move to improve tho quality of milk for cheese-making began last year, when the regulations prescribed that grading should be based upon tho curd tost. Tho research scientists said this test was not sufficient in itself and that one of the other tests should be prescribed in tho event of differential payments being made obligatory. Best Basis lor Grading

All scientists were agreed that no one test alono was fully satisfactory, said the Minister, who gavo reasons why the curd test was decided upon for testing cheese milk. Last year's regulation for grading milk by the curd test without differential payments was violently opposed by a small group of cheese factories, but after a year's trial no factory could be found sufficiently antagonistic to propose that milk grading should be rescinded. Jn an endeavour to meet the views of the objecting scientists and to strengthen the testing method the new regulations, which came into force on August 1, were made to provido that while the factory manager must use the curd test, of which he had already had a year's experience, he must use with it either the direct count or the methylene bluo test in determining whether milk was to be penalised by a lower price for second grade. Concluding, Mr. Macmillan said the department had to look to the suppliers to bring about the necessary improvement in milk quality. No one test in itself was entirely reliable and the best course had been adopted by linking up the curd test as being the test affording the best basis for grading and the best object lesson to the supplier with one of the other two tests.