THE PRICE OF MILK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21390, 18 July 1931, Page 16

THE PRICE OF MILK

TO fllS EDITOR Sir, —Without encroaching too much on your space, I. should like to explain afew points, for the benefit of “Down With the Cost,” regarding the milk question. In the first instance “ Down With the Cost” estimated that a man with. 25 cows would make a profit of £7 10s per cow a month. This is absolutely pediculous. I only know that my creditors wish it were true. We do not milk the 25 cows all at the same time (summer time), and obtain no milk from them through the winter, I am afraid our customers would jib at a scheme of that kind. What we, do, or try to do, is to utilise about nine or 10 cows in summer, while the other 15 or 16 are training for their winter turn. ■ That would roakeour milk supply about'.even. . Down With the Cost ” should know, that the summer cow gives much more milk than ,■ the winter one. ; , , A Now, Sir, it takes two cows and a-halt to give one full milk all the year round. This means that with 25 cows we are very lucky if we get the equivalent of 10 cows’ full milk for the whole 12 months of the year., “ Down With the Cost ” said the New Zealand milkmen should be under the same control as an the Old Country. We wish we were. Tn England; as at present, milk is 5d per quart, in summer and 6d per quart in winter. Another, advantage enjoyed by the Old Country milkman is that if he sends a fattened cow to slaughter, he may get, as much as for it. We would have an epileptic nt if we wei;e offered more than £7 or. £8 for the same or similar cow. It must not be forgotten that it is all forced feeding, from, say, , March till about August, and “Down With the Cost knows what the prices are like at present. He should be able to see where the summer profits go to. I can assure him that we all wish the majority ot dairy farms, were more profitable, as then We would be able to pay the poor farm labourer a better- wage, which is not very remunerative at 1 present—2ss k week and'food, for working from 4 am. til]"7 p.m. : Now we know why a rented dairy farm- is like owning a little" gold mine. You never hear of burglars who are stupid enough to attempt to rob a milkman. They know, their labour would be in vain.—l am, etc., ■ • - . George Poulter. Sawyers’ Bay. ■■"■■.