THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2409, 15 January 1895, Page 3

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

COOL STORAGE AT WELLINGTON. As tho Dairy Industry Act, which render.) it necessary that all butter must be graded before being exported from the Colony, has now boon in force for some time, a description of its working, as far as tho district for which Wellington is an outlet is concerned, will doubtless prove of interest to a largo section of our readers. Tho cool storage which tho Government provide is supplied by tho Wellington Meat Export Company, whoso capacious premises on ’Waterloo quay are conveniently situated, both aa regards the two railway stations and also for shipping purposes. When interviewed by a New Zealand Times reporter, Mr D. gladden, the manager and secretary of tho Company, willingly undertook to give all tho information in his power. Speaking of tho various quantities of butter passing through tho works since grading operations first commenced, the s.s. Gothic, Mr gladden said, was the first vessel to leave Wellington with a cargo of graded butter, and she "took 7293 boxes and 802 kegs. Tho next was tho s.a, Kaikoura, with 7775 boxes and 808 kegs, and lastly tho Doric, with 7222 boxes and 775 kegs. The next boat to leave is the Rimntaka on the 24th inst. The major portion of tho butter entering the stores is from tho West Coast, and for tho accommodation of shippers a special train leaves New Plymouth on Tuesday and Friday nights, and is timed to reach Wellington at six o’clock the following morning. A considerable quantity is also brought down by boat from Taranaki, while tho Wairarapa is served by tho usual train service. As to the capacity of tho Meat Export Co.’s works, Mr gladden sots one’s mind completely at rest by stating that they are capable of bolding all tho butter that was exported from Wellington during 1894. In company with Mr gladden, our representative then’made a tour of tho building to see in what manner tho produce is dealt with on its arrival. The railway trucks are run along tho sidin'* at the rear of the promises, the boxes and kegs brought out immediately and placed on hand-trucks, which are then run into the building, placed on a hydraulic lift, and hoisted up on to the top floor, whore they are placed in a largo room kept at a temperature of about 40 degrees P. It is in this room that they are graded, and they are then stored in a freezing chamber adjoining and kept there until ready for shipment, in a temperature varying from 25 degrees to 28 degrees F. The . manner in which the butter is despatched from the freezing chamber to the ship is as expeditious ns that of its ingress to tho works, but instead of descending by means of the lift it is passed down a shoot on to the . waggons below.

Our representative, having l thanked Mr Sladden for his courtesy, turns his attention to Mr A. A, Thornton, the Government grader, who is engaged at hia work with the aid of a number of men, who are opening the boxes of butter for his inspection. The scone is a busy one and goes to show that tiro position of grader is by no moans a sinecure. Dressed in dungaree trousers and a thick biaok jacket with the collar turned up (tiro temperature of the room is 40 degrees), Air Thornton attacks the open boxes with a butter trier, a long fluted weapon, which ho pushes down to the bottom of tli 0 package, bringing up a sample of its contents. By taste and smell ho grades its quality, and replaces the sample in the package, which is then branded according to his decision. This done, the lid of tiro package is nailed oh again, and it is then placed on a truck, on which it is wheeled into the freezing chamber, where the air strikes chilly and the visitor involuntarily buttons his jacket, anti is thankful lie is not compelled to work in such a temperature. However, the men do not seem to mind it, the work of placing the packages in stacks keeps the blood circulating, and their stay in the chamber is brief.

In conversation with Mr Thornton, our representative gathers that the train from Now Plymouth is not so punctual in its arrival hero as it should be—in fact, it is frequently two hours and sometimes ns much ns nine hours late. For instance, the train which should have got alongside the works nt 0 o’clock last Saturday morning did not put in an appearance until 2.15 in tho afternoon. It is most essential, ho remarks, that tho produce should arrive to time, because the men are all ready to deal with it at G o'clock, besides which if it is kept in the trucks all day in the sun it is likely to get heated, which deteriorates considerably from its value in tho Home market. The temperature of one truck on Saturday last was 73 degrees—about 13 degrees higher than it should have been. Then again, some of the butter from Hawera was sent down in a van in company with several bales of wool, the result being tbat when it arrived it showed a temperature of 09 degrees. The butter which comes down by boat from New Plymouth also occasionally arrives in a boated condition, and Mr Thornton expressed the opinion that it would bo better for everyone if the whole of it was sent by train—that is to say, presuming that the railway authorities would deliver it at the stipulated time, because in that case it would be travelling nt night time, and would not run any risk of becoming heated. The difficulty is that freight from New Plymouth by train is 5s more per ton than it is by steamer, although oven with that disadvantage the train service is very largely availed of. As to the grading itself, in dealing with factory butter MrThornton opens and tests two or three boxes of each date make, but dairy butter requires more particular attention, and almost every box has to bo opened and to undergo inspection. The ■packages ace opened quickly, but with great care, and as carefully nailed up again, so that the fears expressed by shippers that the boxes would undergo damage in the process are proved to bo absolutely groundless. As soon-as the butter has been gradpcl and stamped the boxes are placed in tho freezing chamber, where, to facilitate the process qf freezing, battens, one inch thick and two inches wide, arp placed between tlpo boxes sq as to allow the cold air to permeate them more thoroughly than it otherwise could.

While pointing out tips arrangement Mr Thornton makes the suggestion that email refrigerators should ho provided at the factories, in whiph, the butter pould he cooled before being sent to awnifc carriage at the railway stations. If that \yera done, lie says,' the bfittor lyould reach blni in far better condition than it 'does "at present, and he instances a case of butter which had been frozen hy the Auckland Dairy Association, and was at a temperature of 25 degrees when it arrived at Wellington.

There aro also one or two other subjects on which Me Thcirntdn h as oi wcgd to say. In too first place ho complains that the quality of the parchment paper placed round the butter in the boxes is inferior, and gives tho produce a bad favour—- “ tallowy ” ho culls it—which of course detracts from its marketable value. Then again, most of the butter is i'twangy,” apparently duo to the fact that the milk is pot aerated by the farmer- The fault does not rest with the factory ; tho milk should bo aerated as soon as it is taken from the cow, and, bo adds, tho sooner tho farmer is made to take this course the better it will ho for tho industry in every respect. In conclusion, Mr Thornton points out that some of tho boxes arrive in a very dirty condition j that the wharf lut 'n are not sufficiently careful in their method of handling them; arid that some of the boxes aro not made sufficiently strong to stand even tho legitimate . amount of handling to which Of necessity they have to bp subjected. From his inspection, our representative gathers that in selecting tho Meat Export Oo.’s building for their cool storage depflt, the Government have done a wise thing, that Mr Thornton is an up-to-date man who knows his business thoroughly, and that tho interests of producers ana shippers are well conserved-