DAIRY INSTRUCTION

Southland Times, Issue 21073, 3 May 1930, Page 2

DAIRY INSTRUCTION

WORK AT M*ASSEY COLLEGE. SUPERINTENDENT VISITS SOUTHLAND. A visitor to Southland during the week was Mr G. M. Valentine, dairy factory superintendent at the Massy Agricultural College. In company with the local dairy instructor, Mr Valentine visited a.number of factories, looking into matters connected with cheese-making, certain phases of which are under investigation at the college factory. During the last eighteen months, the research staff had been engaged on the question of “openness” in cheese, a defect which is at present a cause of deep concern to all those connected with the industry'. A feature remarked on by the visitor was the pleasing appearance of the factory surroundings at most of the places visited. Mr Valentine, a South Islander himself, expressed keen disappointment at the small number of South Island men attending the classes for dairy students at the college, and mentioned that of the 34 who enrolled last year, 22 were from Auckland, nine from Taranaki-Wellington, and only three from the South Island. One of the reasons suggested for this was the distance which students would have to travel, but when looked into closely, this reason could hardly be accepted. For instance, students coming from North Auckland or Bay of Plenty would spend practically the same time in travelling and incur as much expense as those coming from Southland. The expense by rail was reduced by the concession allowed to returning students by the Railway Department. , Classes for dairy students commence on May 19 -and finish on August 17 in order to suit the slack time in the factories. Time was when the South Island was looked upon as the training ground for managers to fill the positions offering in the North, but to-day the trend woidd almost seem to lie in the other direction.