NOTE AND COMMENT

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1523, 28 February 1901, Page 51

NOTE AND COMMENT

A cable message from London states that a committee of' dairy produce importers are to interview the shipping ■companies in regard to the delay in delivery of New Zealand butter and cheese. During the present dairy, produce season the National Dairy Association, through its secretary, Mr C. It. Beattie, has .made representations to the two shipping companies carrying the colony's dairy (produce to the 1 London market in regard to the vexatious delays which take place. Owing, however.. to the distance of the market, "and to the time which elapses between the despatch and receipt of communication, little good can he done by any agitation at this end. Shippers do everything they can to secure a legular fortnightly despatch of the butter and see that it is put on hoard in a satisfactory condition. That is all they can he expected to do. It is in the cbviating of delays in delivering butter and cheese to the London dealers that the principal improvement is to he made at the London end. It would seem that the right person to investigate the difficulty and sue for reform is the Produce Commissioner of the Government in'London. His special mission is to watch over the interests of colonial producers, and in securing a quick discharge in London would appear to be one of his most important duties.

Notwithstanding the fact that large sums of money have been expended by the Government on the butter industry, that factories have been erected on the best lines and equipped with thoroughly up-to-date plants, and that an association representing the factories carefully watches over the shipment of the butter —all the time with the' principal object of maintaining the butter at a suitable temperature—instances have occurred where the butter has been seriously deteriorated by the manner in which it is carried on the railways. On some sections of the' Government lines cool covered - in trucks, supplied with ice, are provided for the carriage of dairy produjce, but on other sections this necessary provision for the regular protection of the highly delicate product has not been made, notwithstanding that representations on the subject have been advanced again and again. Recently the Railway Department informed the National Dairy Association, in reply to a protest on the part of the association, that proper cool trucks, supplied with the necessary ice, would be provided. On the 20th, however, a glaring instance of neglect occurred. A line of butter came to Wellington in an. open coal truck. Ice was certainly provided (in the centre of the truck) and a tarpaulin covered up the butter. The provision, however, was so inadequate that the butter in the boxes not immediately touching the ice was, on arrival at the cool stores, found to be oozing out of the majority of the hexes. Some of the boxes were at a temperature of 80 degrees. The result of this is that the butter — the finest factory—has deteriorated to second- grade, and lowered its value by 2d a pound. As the line comprised 45 boxes, each of 561 b net weight, the direct loss to the factory is atjdie very least £2l.