SKIMMINGS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1509, 31 January 1901, Page 51

SKIMMINGS

About £3OOO a month is being paid to milk suppliers by the five Wairarapa cheese manufacturing companies.

A meeting of small farmers has decided to erect a dairy factory in a locality which will be equally suitable for auopliers from Park vale, Waihakeke and Kokotau. Messrs J. Eaton, Shaw and Bailey are selecting a site for the building.

**.* * * * At the meeting of directors of the North Island Bacon Company, it was announced that a new cellar had been added to the works, giving double the amount of curing accommodation, a fresh concrete floor had been laid down, and the chilling-room had been much enlarged' and better ventilated. The Carterton company is now in a position to deal wiux all the pigs sent in.

The Dairy Commissioner, Mr J. A. Kinsella, has been visiting the Otago factories during the past few weeks. The Papanui, leaving Wellington about the 30th inst., will be taking a very large shipment of dairy produce to London.

The milking machine is still far from perfection. Even the Americans, with all their ingenuity, have not attempted the invention of a machine, and at the late Royal shoAv at York a prize of £SO offered for the best milking machine was not awarded, as the judges considered that neither of the two machines showed sufficient merit to entitle them to a prize * * * * *

The condensery at New Berlin, N.Y., receives over 215,000 pounds of milk, which consists of about 175,000 pounds from its regular patrons, and the balance from the Mount Upton Works. Probably no other-milk-receiving establishment in the world takes in an equal amount and finds a ready market for all it can make. Of this fact one illustrar tions is given. It is that the largest quantity of milk ever shipped in this world at one time life he condensary at that place on Monday, July 9. It filled 13 cars. Each car contained 1000 cases, and each case 48 cans —a total of 624,000 cans of condensed milk. This, be it remembered, only represents about one week’s output from thois factory in the summer season. The single item of sugar used in this process represents at the present time about 2000dol per day.— ‘Ttural New Yorker.”

Writing .under date of December 14th Messrs Weddell and (Jo. report as fol_ lows on the London dairy produce market : —There is a very good demand for really “Choicest” quality Australian and New Zealand Butters," and for the latter the demand is accentuated. Prices remain at 110 s and 112 s per cwt. for “Choicest,” but 114 s is occasionally made for “fancy’’ brands. “Finest” brings 102 s and 106 s, but for the lower qualities no improvement is visible. Canadian butter is meeting a good demand at former prices. For the last two months the average prices of Australasian butter have been 5s per cwt above what they were for the corresponding period of 1899. Danish has been only 4s per owt dearer. The “Kumara,” from New Zealand, with about 20,000 boxes of butter will dock on Sunday, and the owners have arranged to work night and day so as to discharge the butter in time for the Christmas market. The “Oceana” is due the same day from Australia, and it would be jfc great advantage if her discharge were effected as promptly. The “Ormuz,” due in London 19th January, 1901, has been in collision and returned to Melbourne, where she will 'be detained for seme weeks; consequently, there will be no arrival of butter that week from Australia. The Canadian season ended on November 29th, the total quantity of of butter shipped since Ist May was 256,563, against 465,171 last year, thus exhibiting a shortage of 208,608 or 5,215 tons. The Copenhagen committee has not altered the official quotation this week, and the market remains firm in the Danish capital. Complaints are still common that Danish butter has not jet overcome the deterioration which always accurs when cattle go off grass on to stall-feeding. While “Choicest’ qual_ ity finds a ready market, secondary drags somewhat, and there are stocks waiting clearance.

Cheese.—For Canadian there is no change in either demand or prices worthy of mention. The price of Canadian cheese to-uay is 5s per cwt. less than it was last year at this time, when it rose to 60s. The 100 tons of New Zealand, on board the “Kumara’’ is awaited with interest, being the first arrival of the new season’s goods. The “Paparoa” left New Zealand just lately with 200 tons aboard, ana is due at the end of January. The total shipments of Canadian cheese during the season just ended amounted to 2,077,695 packages, against 1,852,273, which show an increase of 225,422.