DISGRACEFUL CHEESE CASING

New Zealand Mail, 15 February 1900, Page 4

DISGRACEFUL CHEESE CASING

Illustrated in this' week’s issue are two lots of cheese as they appeared awaiting shipment in the Harbour Board's sheds at Wellington. One is a line in well-made cases, neatiy bound with wire, from a Wairarapa factory; and the other is a collection Irom several lines, whose case ends had not been bound, piled together so that the cases m-’ght be either repaired or the cheese recased. The cases were photographed just as they appeared to us m the Harbour Board sheds, and will convey to our readers a fair idea of what takes place when the cheese-case ends are not protoctod isi. fifty cither by wire or hoop-iron. .. .

The absence of the binding is" not, cf course, the only reason why the cases have not been able to. stand the strain cf many handlings; another fault in packing is responsible —cases too big for the cheese. In' some instances the cases were so big that there was lUliv two-inches‘play between the ends and sides, of the cheese and the case, and sometimes where this play occurred, the consequent bumping of the cheese on the centre partition having broken it down, one cheese was resting on the other and' the play_ at the ends, of course, doubled. If the cases were made to exactly fit the cheese not only would the cheese have a better appearance when unpacked, hut great saving would be effected in freight, which, on a whole line, would mean a respectable sum to the interested factories. The neglect of this detail oi pacsing is a serious thing, and directors should see to, it that immediate improvement is made.

The necessity of binding the cases, .preferably by a light wire—fourteen guage—has been so often pointed out by the North Island National Dairy Association and the graders that no excuse can exist for factories being unaware cf it. With the binding tool, invented by Mr Lang, the Government grader, the work of wiring is made a matter of the greatest simplicity and the cost is but a trifle. We noticed that in some cases the wiring was very carelessly done—not enough staples being used. Other eases were half as heavy again as they might have been. Taking the Aotea cheese altogether, the casing of the North Island cheese was excellent and'in strong contrast to the casing of several South Island lines. The Belvedere and Waitohi cases were mode’s of neatness and rigidity and we did not notice, a .single ease of these lines ever, cracked. It is only fair to point oni that the cases so knocked about—these shewn in cur photograph —'were from South island feetories, and, being brought up by coastal steamers for transhipment in Wellington, had more handling than, the model line shown, which came' only from the Wairarapa. Still the transhipments could not account for the disgraceful state ■some of the cases were in before even leaving the'colony. We hope the lesson we seek to convey by-, means of the photographs on another page will convince factorymen that the binding of cheese-case ends is a matter of the greatest importance. r