Butter and Cheese-a Complaint from Glasgow.

Otago Witness, Issue 2097, 3 May 1894, Page 13

Butter and Cheese- a Complaint from Glasgow.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, — I enolose for publication a letter received by me from Messrs John M'Nairn and Co., of Glasgow. As to their complaints re batter and cheese, I would remark that I have both sold for and shipped cheese on acconnt of a very large portion of the factories in Otago and Southland, and on only one early shipment from one factory was there any adverse comment from London — viz., "that it had a slightly weedy flavour," and this lot was sold for 525, equal to 54s in Glasgow — the later shipments of this same factory making 545, equal to 563 in Glasgow. All the cheese I have consigned to London for factories, up to the Ruahioe, I have advice by cable has brought 53s 6d to 565, mostly 545, in London ; and a London buyer, who purchased some 800 tons, seems quite satisfied with the quality of the cheese from this district. Messrs M'Nairn and Co., so far as I know, had only one factory from this district — viz., Woodlauds; and this cheese has always, and I think deservedly, held a high reputation, so that I am at a loss to understand their somewhat sweeping condemnation of New Zealand cheese, it they refer to factory cheese from Obago and Southland.

Nor have I any such complaints re butter shipped from this district, the butter which I have consigned from here having brought up to the Ruahine shipment 96s to 110s, being in most cases only 2s below Victorian best, market ruling low, with downward tendency. The question of parchment paper and well-seasoned , boxes is one that all tactories here have had pressed on them and attend to. Doubtless lots of New Zealand butter land at Home in bad order, simply because it was shipped in bad order. The main portion of New Zealaud butter goes from the North Island, and I am certain' ihat New Zealand will never take the place it should, as the best butter-producing country in the world, until the whole of the batter is made in factories, each factory having a good refrigerating plant (costing £250 f.o.b. London, and requiring four-horse power to work it), the butter being sent down to a cool store at the port of shipment by rail in refrigerating cars. I maintain that it is quite impossible to successfully carry on the dairy industry in .the North Isfand except under these conditions. At present butter goes from inland to New Plymouth, Patea, or Wanganui, knocks about wharves in all temperatures, is shipped in small coasting steamers' holds, sometimes in tropical temperature, possibly sometimes fairly cool, bat generally far too hot, then landed on Wellington wharf to wait till shipment. Is it possible, I would ask, that butter can be good after such treatment P On the contrary, I say that hundreds of tons leave the factory worth 9d per lb that are not worth Sd when finally shipped.

Down south we have a cooler climate, bat if the butter industry is to prosper we must have cool stores at the port of shipment and cool cars to carry it. In the North Island the fact of the Manawatu line being the only railway from the Manawatu, Napier, and New Plymouth districts to Wellington blocks the jway for anything like cheap railage, and consequently the butter goes by steamer from the various ports before mentioned. Government should, in the interest of settlement and the dairy industry, subsidise the Manawatu line and offer cheap carriage to Wellington cool stores in refrigerating cars. If these matters are not attended to in New Zealand at once I am afraid Victoria will beat us oat of the market. Ido not believe that better butter can be made in Victoria than in this colony, and I maintain that any present superiority in the London market is due to the fact that the Victorian Government provide refrigerating cars, travelling' hundreds of miles up-country, to carry down the butter to cool stores in Melbourne, also provided by Government, who also see to the inspection and shipment of the butter. I do not admire or believe in their bonus system, which in my opinion does no good to the farmers, but I am certain that what they do in the way of railage and cool stores has and will yet repiy Victoria handsomely, and I trust that the New Zealand Government will lose no time in doing 'the same. I notice by the London correspondent's notes in to-day's Daily Timc3 that London people have at last made np their mindd that a low temperature for butter is the right thing— viz., 20deg.to 30deg. This plan bas been consistently advocated by Mr Brydone, Mr Stevenson, Mr Cuddie, and myself for the past four years, as our annual reports will show, and we have consistently shipped in freezing chambers without one single complaint, simply bacause we considered the cool chamber a rnig. take. lam arranging for proper cool cbambei s for next season, to be kept below freezing pokt (how much below I do not think matters much), and if shippers agree to this we can get freight at f d instead of Id, as we have been paying, and the arrangement will Buit the shipping companies far better. This,season has been a poor one for butter, but fairly good for cheese.

The arrangement made by this association with the New Zealand Shipping Company has, up to date, been well carried out, both a3 regards fairly regular shipments aud landing butter and cheese in good condition, and I am pleased to learn by cable that the Duke of Westminster is now landing her cheese in good order even after a four months' voyage, and I trust her butter will also turn out right, although I' am sorry that the unfortunate breakdown and detention has caused the batter to miss the market. I have no fear of the condition of the frozen chamber butter.

When the Tongariro leaves Port Chalmers on May 12, this association will have shipped since November 20, 1893 : — From associated factories in Otago and Southland, 1800 tons cheese. 240 tons batter ; from associated factories in North Island, 900 tons cheese, 1000 tons batter. All of which has been carried by the New Zealand Shipping Company, with a little assistance from the Shire line. We are, at the request of several factories in the North Island, endeavouring to extend our operations in the North Island, and intend to arrange a contract for the despatch of regular fortnightly shipments from Port Chalmers and Wellington daring the coming season. — I am, &c, James R. Scott. Secretary.

p, g. — When up at Wellington the other day I examined the cheese being shipped by the Ruapehu, and I most say that, speaking genejftllj, tin North liUnd o&eew J* etrong \u

flavour — far too much bo for shipment to London. Some three factories were, I think, equal to Otago and Southland, the rest far off. The strong flavour was due in part to the cheese being too old for shipment, but in most cases to defective manufacture. One cannot ship cheese too mild in flavour for the London market. — J. R. S.

101 Brunswick Btreet, Glasgow, March 21, 1894. To Mr Jas. R. Scott, National Dairy Association of New Zealand, Dunedin. Dear Sir,— By the Australian mail to hand this week we have a copy of your circular letter addressed to the factories throughout New Zealand with reference to the competition for our cup, winch we note takes place .early in June. We thank you exceedingly for the trouble you have taken in this matter, and can only say that anything we can do to further the dairying industry will be done, as we have all along done our be3t to foster it. We should like to point out Beveral complaints on goods to hand this year from New Zealand. Butter : There has been an immense amount of trouble and loss through mould. This is a most serious matter, because you can understand when butter is distributed all over Scotland and England it is very troublesome to have broken boxes returned to us on this account. We can't account for it in any^other way than that your factories are using the wrong parchment paper, or probably the wood has been too green. Victorian wood seems to our minds to be drier than yours. Can you explain this ? It is a mast serious matter, and you ought to impress upon the Goyernment the necessity of finding out the cause of it. Then as regards cheese, our recent shipments from the colony have been very deficient in quality. They have been hard and dry and brittle — for what reason we can't tell. Goods which ought to be realising 583 we are peddling out in little lots of 10 cases at 52a and 535. Is it because of the weather or the fact of being badly made? We have not noticed it in one factory specially, but they have all been of the same style. The market is very firm. Scotch choice cheese are very scarce, but mediums are in plentiful supply. New Zealand's are in very good demand, but our buyers complain seriously of what we have mentioned.— Yours truly, J. M'Nairn & Co.