DAIRYING IN NEW ZEALAND

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16374, 23 June 1927, Page 9

DAIRYING IN NEW ZEALAND

■ MUST INCREASE L'RODUC I'ION. ' NATIONAL ASSOCIAIION'SANNUAL MEETING. (Per Press Aesociation.) RUTORUA, last right. The annual meeting o! the M>t;<.-nal Dairy Association Conference opened at the. 'Grand Theatre. Mr. A. Morton, president, was the chairman, and litre ! was an attendance of f OO. The Mayor, Mr. T. McDowell, Welcomed the visitors, and trusted tley would avail themselves U ihe oiuurtunity to visit district fains an 1 pttend tho* Winter Show and see what the country was capable of uroducitig. Mr. H. Martin, on behalf -i the County Council spoke in the same terms. The report and balance-sd'.-et were taken as read. The chairman, in his opening r-mhess, referred to the producing of manufactured articles, saying that although the amount was fairly maintained, the industry was not making progress. They were not going back, but in ww of the large areas available they had not made the progress they should. It was surprising they had made so little progress. This was not because of want of suggestions. A notable, wo prion was North Auckland, where wh°y had had to increase the size of the U dories. Perhaps it was their better climate, to t the season as a whole had been favorable. North Auckland's progress Mas duo to better methods and to fertilisers. He was pleased to say the quality of their product had advanced. This was due to grading, and also to the initiation of superfine grading. Credit was also due to factory managers. There had been no adverse reports from London. Ho referred to prices as a delicate subject. There had been a general fall in the prices of products last year. He gave the conference a note of warning' three years ago. They could meet this only by increased production. The decreased prices of I heir products covered everything except wool. Beef, lamb, and pork had been lower, and this had been disappointing with respect to pork, as they had ■expected extra good prices owing to the importation of pork from the Continent Having been vetoed in England. This might have been caused by the economic slate of the Old Country, or the resumption of the gold standard. During the last year, he continued, an advance had been made in the matter of research, which was being pushed by the Government by establishing laboratories. He had heard that testing was not carried out as closely as it ought to be. .Seeing that testing told the farmer the value of each cow, it, was astonishing that testing was not more closely attended to. If carried out consistently, it awouid mean an increase of millions. The Waikato showed a substantia! increase. They must adopt better methods of herd testing and consistent top-dressing. The latter had paid handsomely. The speaker 'concluded by mooting the adoption of the report. This was seconded by Mr. Maule, who said he could not congratulate the company on the balance-sheet. If they had been a new company he could have understood mistakes, but for as. old company to confess that thoy had traded on too low a percentage, and that the overhead charges were larger than they expected, was incomprehensible. He" would like to know if the chairman and secretary had done their duty. (Laughter.) They should have taken advantage of having the interim reports. Air. Brown criticised the balancesheet severely. Mr. Kyle, of Palmerston North, congratulated the association on the assumption "that it might have been worse." In reply to questions, the chairman informed the delegates that the onlytwo officials whose salaries had been cut down were the secretary and the chairman of directors. . Mr. Backhouse, secretary, said they recognised the position. The association expected, with the loyalty of the directors of factories, to clear the adverso balance in a year or two. The associatioan was saying the dairying industry a matter of £6(XJO per annum.. They could supply any factory with machinery and fertilisers, but they must receive the support of directors. (Applause.) The company should a!- J ways be asked for a quotation. If this were done the iiftXX) spent on five travellers would not bo necessary. Messrs. Hay ward (Maungatapu) and Tat Tor (Hikurangf) spoke in support. Mr. McUndge (Auckland) complained of the differentiation in charges by the association, and was assured by Mr. Backhouse that these charges would be non-recurrent. After the lunch adjournment Messrs. Small and Fallow spoke sympathetically, opposing the curtailment of salaries. The motion was put and carried.. Palmerston North was fixed as the locale of the next conference. A Morrinsnlie remit that the New Zealand railways be approached by the association to grant monthly ledger accounts to dairy companies Mas lost, after considerable talk. The following Morrinsville remit was carried unanimously: "That it be a recommendation from this conference that a section of the proposed Dairy School be devoted entirely to research work in cattle disease, especially mammitis and abortion, in view of the heavy toll these, diseases claimed."—"That in view of the present low rates for dairy produce, it be a recommendation from this conference that no further levy collected to date be refunded to dairy companies." This remit was held over, pending Mx. Grounds addressing the meeting. The following remit from Pahiatua was discussed: "That this conference congratulates the Dairy Board upon the arrangement made with the Exporter as its official organ, to convey the official news of the hoard's doings to every dairy farmer in the Dominion, as by this wise and far-seeing action the dairy industry had been enabled to secure a knowledge of facts not otherwise available. Further, this conference wishes to place on record its appreciation of tho manner in which the Exporter has Carried out its work and service thereby rendered to the industry, and expresses its special appreciation of the new service, lately instituted, of supplying information to prepare and improve the quality of dairy produce, as it is convinced this service will he of incalculable benefit in furthering the industry and its individual members; that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Dairy Board and the editor of the Exporter." • Tho remit, auoused a storm of invective, mostly general, against the press of the Dominion, speakers, both for and against, very strongly expressing their opinions. The remit was carried by a narrow majority.