SCIENTIFIC DAIRYING.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 May 1924, Page 5

SCIENTIFIC DAIRYING.

NEED OF THE DOMINION.

EDUCATING FACTORY MANAGERS. LABORATORIES ESSENTIAL. A resolution to the effect thafr, in vie w of the importance of the dairying industry in the Dominion, the time has arrived when dairy factory managers should be appointed to their positions on being holders of certificates of qualifications for such important positions, and that as a means to this end the Government be urged to re-establish the dairy school with a view to carrying out research work and for the qualification of such managers, was passed at the annual meeting of the Taranaki Farmers’ Union yesterday. In introducing the subject, Mr. H. E. Johnson urged the necessity of some place, either a dairy school or laboratory, to solve the problems of factory managers. Most of our present managers were merely graduated factory hands with little or no scientific training. An excellent example of the use such a training would be was afforded by the trouble experienced in a number of cheese factories last year with starters. As a result of the trouble a considerable amount of second grade cheese had been made. The dairying industry had now reached such proportions that money could well be spent on scientific research.

In supporting the previous speaker,Mr. G- Buckeridge stated that the value of the dairy produce exported during Fast year was £16,000,000, apd if only one per cent, of that could be used for research much could be done. At the present time factory managers could educate themselves in the science of dairying only by their own initiative. But it should not be necessary to ask the Government for help. One per cent, of the value of the dairy output (including what was consumed in New Zealand) would be about a quarter of a million pounds in a year. If this money was available for research the gain in a short while would be greater than the amount of money used.

An excellent example of what science might do, continued Mr. Buckeridge, could be seen in the controversy that recently occurred over the relative values of milk for cheese-making. Some factory managers preferred low testing milk with a high ratio and others high testing milk with a low ratio, but no finality was reached. Again, some factory managers said that in the early months of the season (August and September) the milk was most suitable for cheese making, but they were wrong. Careful experiments had proved that while 900 gallons of milk at that time of the year made ten cheeses, later in the season the same quantity of milk tnade fourteen cheeses of better qualityMr. Johnson wished to know who was going to examine the factoty managers for their certificates. Mr. Buckeridge thought a competent examiner would have to be brought from abroad. Mr. S. Bennett and Mr. F. Gawith strongly. advocated a federation of dairy companies to institute the research work and provide funds for laboratories, possibly by the imposition of a small butter-fat x. A federation which did not at all mean an amalgamation, was doubly essential because it would ensure supplies of clean milk at the factories. At present there was so much rivalry that, if one factory attempted to enforce conditions of cleanliness on farmers, they often changed their factories and were welcomed by the second factory because they were new suppliers, irrespective of the quality of their milk. It was, therefore, decided also that in view of the importance of the dairying industry of this district, the time has arrived when the various dairy factories .should confer with the idea of formulating some basis under which it will be possible to so educate the dairy factory managers as to enable them to derive’the best results possible from the milk supply, and that the conference be arranged by the Farmers’ Union for the Hawera winter show week-