PAYMENT FOR MILK SUPPLY

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1928, Page 9

PAYMENT FOR MILK SUPPLY

IS BUTTER-FAT BASIS UNFAIR! MASSEY COLLEGE TO DETERMINE. Jn the course of his remarks at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Cattle Breeders’ Association at Palmerston North on Wednesday night, the president (Mr. F. Mills)- referred to the report issued from Hawera regarding the manufacture of cheese. “We have always had the l impression,” Me said, “that low testing milk had been proved to be better than high test milk and made more cheese per pound of butterfat. However, the cheese from the high test milk brought higher prices and counter-balanced the greater quantity from the other.” It had been, however, proved that quite a considerable greater quantity of cheese was manufactured from the low test milk, it having been found impossible to embody as much moisture in the cheese made from the high test butter-fat as from the low. New Zealand moisture was accordingly being sold nt 8d and 9d per lb. The shrinkage, despite Such, had been found to be negligible and thus nothing was lost by putting more moisture In the cheese. It had been considered by buyers that the retailers at the other end preferred a fatty cheese, yet he (the speaker) had found that the difference could not be determined by the purchasers; indeed, in some instances tho fatty cheese had been considered greasy which had been to its disadvantage. The scientist bad stated in his report that the present basis of payment for but-ter-fat was quite unfair, which actually meant that it was unfair to the supplier of the low test milk. A suggestion Ss a basis for payment had been put forward, but he did not deem it advisable to go into the matter at present, as he had not gone fully into it. Commenting upon non-acid milk the speaker stated that the cause and cure were as yet unknown, but a peculiar feature had been that his neighbour, who hand milked, had experienced more difficulty than he had. It had been an unfortunate incident as regards the breed in respect to the manufacture of cheese last year. life scientist considered that suppliers of low test milk were not receiving fair play, but perhaps at Massey College an experiment could be attempted in that direction, and if a favourable pronouncement was forthcoming it would encourage the association to nress for an amendment.