CHEESE v. BUTTER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 12, 6 September 1912, Page 3

CHEESE v. BUTTER.

(To the Editor “Stratford Post.”) •Sir, —I have been wondering how long it will he before the directors and suppliers of the da in factories in Central Taranaki, particularly Stratford and Midhirst, will wake up and realise how mucih they arc losing by not making cheese instead of butter. Xow, I know all sorts of arguments which they can, and do, use in favour of butter, but they are only “healing the air.” 1 think it can be proved without a shadow of a doubt that cheese is by far the most payable proposition, and everything points to cheese prices going higher. Ido not intend going into actual prices for the two commodities, but it works out somewhere about 12d for butter and 1 15di for cheese. I may sar many hof the cheese factories : paid out about 15 Jd last season and expect to do (better this year. the directors had their thinking caps on and realised what this gidiit 'difference in the price of the two commodities means, even to the small farmer, let alone the big suppliers? Take'a small man, say, with 25 cows. Roughly, these return him £250 a year for milk with butterfat at 12d. ’ ' Rut if liis factory made cheese, and'&Sld* at ruling'price equal to 15d, his iucoiho would ire £312 10s; that is £62 l(Js ! extra for the season. I know th<3 first cry will he: What about the calves?” Now,'to begin with, the 25 calves are only worth about 30s at four months old (that is £37 10s), and we all know ai good many don’t live from various causes. Secondly, suppliers can still rear calves even when their factory makes cheese, and I have seen calves reared in the Ngaere district by suppliers to the Xgaere cheese factory quite equal to and in many cases better, than calves roared in the Stratford and Midlhir-t district. I will admit a little addition of suitable food stuff may have to he added to the whey, but you must hear in mind a 25 cow supplier has £62 10s a year to play with, and can weir afford a few pounds for calf-meal. I realise there are some arguments in favour of going on in the old way (making butter), such as the big cost of the cheese plant and the inconvenience of having so many small outlying creameries, etc., but against that there are many more arguments in favour of cheese, which J have not touched upon, viz., whey butter, pasteurised whey for the calves, great decrease in the weight of the back-load from the factory, etc. I will not take up any more of your space ai present, but would ask suppliers t< look at South Taranaki, where some ol the land is bringing £75 per acre. Why, they are all going for cheese arid surely can’t be installing £6oo'. and £BOOO cheese plants for amusement! I think you will find there will only he one .or two factories shipping butter through Patea this season. Tin men on the high-priced land realise they must make the article that pay? the best, and that undoubtedly i: cheese. Hoping this will set ai thinking: “W hich is it to lie nex. season?” I am, etc., SMALL SUPPLIER.