FARM INSTRUCTION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17030, 15 August 1929, Page 8

FARM INSTRUCTION

DAIRYMEN DIVIDED IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY Whether or not the Kia Ora Co-opera-tive Dairy Co.’s suppliers should retain the services of the farm dairy instructor was fully discussed at the annual meeting of the company to-day, nutno finality was reached after a discussion which showed that the meeting was well divided on the point. An item in the balance-sheet showed that the. company contributed £2vo to the services and travelling expenses if the farm daily instructor, and some of the suppliers claimed that this amount could be dispensed with.

The secretary, Mr. .1. 11. KvmdcV'and. said the matter had been considered by tho directors, who asked the department if the travelling expenses could be reduced, but it was stated that npt one instructor’s travelling expenses wore below £2OO. The Kia Ora company, togetheY with the Okit-u company, contributed to the cost of the service, on a production basis, the department finding half. Mr. G. Purvis, Government dairy grader and instructor, commented that there had been a considerable improvement in the quality of butter made by the factory. In. 1923-24, before farm dairy instruction commenced here, the average grade was 91.77 points, and last season 93.98 points. Much of this credit was due to suppliers improving the quality of the cream, and this must have been, assisted to a- large extent by the farm dairy instructor. Air. Purvis said delegates from Australia had told him that the farm dairy instruction system here was a fine one. The instructor was constantly urging them to further improvements, and it- would not be wise to dispense with the system.

Mr. W. T. Pitt claimed that the instructor could recommend improvements, but could not tell the farmer where to get the money from to effect improvements. Another supplier maintained that many farmers did not have the finance to carry out the instructor’s recommendations. One speaker,-however, said he had been urged to make certain improvements, and the company advanced the money. Mr. I). J. Gumming said that to dispense with the instructor’s services now would be doing so at the wrong time. He suggested that the instructor should take up a farm, say, at Te Wora, and show the farmers ‘what could ts done. Air. Sunderland said that the instructor had power to prohibit cream from insanitary premises being sent to flic factory, but this power was used very sparingly. The department was out to assist the farmers, not to penalise them. A shareholder said it would be a retrogram- step to dispense with the services of the instructor. The speaker had set himself out to lean), and the instructor enabled him to discover faults which would have otherwise remained undetected, mentioning one problem which had bullied the farmer. At this stage the discussion lapsed.