RETURN TO FULL CREAM

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1930, Page 13

RETURN TO FULL CREAM

BETTER CHEESE QUALITY MEREMER.E COMPANY’S DECISION STA NDARDISATION CONDEMN ED. Various methods of improving the quality of cheese were discussed at the annual meeting of tho Meiemeie Cooperative Dairy Company at Ilawera on Saturday and, after the chairman, Mr. J. E. O’Shea, had roundly condemned standardisation, quoting a London opinion, it was decided to manufacture fullcream cheese this year. Proposals to discontinue the supply of hot water and to grade milk with preferential payments were also considered, but were not adopted. Mr. O'Shea congratulated the company on a fairly satisfactory year. Its produce had been sold on consignment, and, in common with other companies, the Mercmore Company had had a difficult season. It was pleasing to record that' manufacturing cost's had been reduced. The new curing room was a valuable asset.

In hie opinion, elated Mr. O'Shea, the main cause of the deterioration in cheese quality, of which so much was heard, was standardisation, and he had not the least hesitation in attributing 75 per cent, of the trouble to standardisation. There were other matters that needed attention, but- they were only minor causes. He had been on the directorate for 29 years, and-the amazing thing was that they had no coihplaints in the old: days. They had not had all the ecicntiets and the sheds had’ been without the latest appointments. The milk must certainly be cleaner now than it had ever been, so that that could not. bo the cause. The sooner they got standardisation repealed the better.

Eor his part he was not a great believer in the premium as a remedy for deterioration. It would be all right if the grading were done at Home, but it was impossible for a grader to assess, cheese 14 days after manufacture. One lot of Mereraere cheese graded finest had brought the lowest price of ail their produce, a result which was typical of many. Mr. O'Shea said he wished to dissociate himself from the attack upon Air. Singleton as he thought that the dairy companies had brought trouble upon themselves. The decision for standardisation had come as a bolt from the blue. The Taranaki federation had supported it in an endeavour to find a method equitable for high-testing and low-testing' milk. Kakaramea, Manutahi, Melrose, Mells and Meremere had objected, and a meeting of the federation had been held to listen to their objection. A TOO HASTY DECISION. Tie had stated then that standardisation was being adopted too hastily and without sufficient consideration. In his opinion it would pay Meremere to make full-cream cheese, for, though the company might not benefit right away, it would get a premium in the near fut-. ure. He did not wish to assume the mantle of a prophet, but he would remind them of two of his opinions. He had prophesied that the Control Board would

be a costly farce, and he had also said that standardisation would ruin the market. It might be all right if kept within reasonable limits, and if factories skimmed, say* 15 per cent., but when they heard of factories skimming up to 40 per cent, what could they, expect ? Mr. O’Shea then read the following letter from a prominent Tooley Street firm:—“New Zealand cheese compares unfavourably with Canadian. The loose, open texture and the weak, moist and granular body when exposed for sale in the: shops expands the cavities and holes caused by loose texture and becomes unsightly. The cheese dries quickly, and there is excessive shrinkage in weight. It is wasteiul to the giocer in cutting up. These features prejudice New Zealand cheese. Full cream cheese now sells in preference to standardised. There is a differential price at present of Is per cwt. in favour of full cream. A premium, of up to 2s per cwt. has been made, but the quantity of unsatisfactory standardised cheec?, available tends to depress the general value. “Our own experience is that waxed cheese is jiist as freely sold as unwaxed, and, now that the grocer is protected with the allowance of 11b on 3cwt., wo have many instances where traders prefer waxed cheese, as it protects the condition.

“The character of cheese required is smooth, silky body with close texture. Quality has deteriorated considerably this year. The trade were apprehensive at the introduction of standardised cheese, but when the . quality received the first year was satisfactory, and even showed some improvement on fullcream cheese owing , to . close texture, the prejudice was overcome. This season’s experience has aroused all the old prejudices, but with great, force and more general disfay-qirp.;

grocers’ REFUSE STANDARDISED

“The dissatisfaction is growing and an increasing number of. grocers-.refuse to purchase standardised: make. F.o.b. purchases of standardised , cheese look like being reduced to a minimum next season. Another feature connected with standardised cheese is. tlje excessive amount of sampling or Boring .of the cheese necessitated prior t;o shipment. By the time these sampled cheeses reach Home, the old bore holes become centres of mould growth,., entailing wastage to the grocer who has to cut them up. The number of cheeses so treated means that every week, a certain number of claims or complaints reached us. The average amount of wastage collected around these old bore holes is about 31b, the cheese being badly disfigured with veins, of mould and decay, which means that this quantity of cheese is unsaleable after the requisite trimming is done. .

“The common comment one hears inthe provision trade is that New Zea•land will have to come back ..to fullcream cheese. The foregoing ie.not an expression of individual opinion, but is just a recital of the actual experiences . we are meeting with in the daily round of business.” -*

In reply to a question the chairman said that the hut water supplied to The manager, Mr. Duff, in reply to farmers was quite satisfactory.”

a question from Mr. G. W, Williams, said that the. supply of hot water was subject to many abuses, as they had no guarantee that after the, cans were washed with factory, hot water they would be scalded. . .

Mr. Williams said the' water, was put through the machines in a good many cases. The machines should be scalded. Air. Tidswell suggested that cutting out the hot water would penalise the majority for a few offenders. Eventually it was decided to continue the supply of hot water.

MILK TO BE GRADED THIS YEAR.

The chairman said that the grading of milk might solve the problem of bad quality. The manager said that they had all the necessary equipment for grading at Meremere. He had decided to carry this out in the coming season. He would use the methylene blue and curd .teste. The: chairman thought , differential payments should be made •< on milk grade. "That ie the Ernest important thing,” he said.

Mr. Williams said if that were done there would be no need to go in'to the premium pool. They would get a premium on the Home market. He moved that differential payments be paid on two grades of milk, the difference to be jjd. There would be no payment, of course, for rejected milk, Air. Lee seconded the resolution. Mr. Elmes moved as an amendment that the milk be tested and that the manager reject bad milk. He did not like the differential payment. Suppliers might growl. A voice: Let them growl! Air. Duff, in reply to a question, said that some suppliers had not taken any notice of his advice on improving the milk. The differential payment would bring these to order. Air. Lee cited instances of farmers who, after visits from Dairy Division officials, had effected improvement in their milk for a week and then, through sheer laziness, had let it drop back. Air. Tidswell seconded the amendment, which was carried. Mr. Tidswell explained that he thought the differential payment system would come in time, but believed that it would be premature to introduce it yet. Air. Tidswell declared himself in favour of the company going back trullcream cheese this year and moved to that effect. Mr. Elmes seconded the motion, which was carried on the voices. The retiring directors, Messrs G, W. Harding, J. Lander and W. Savage, were re-elected unopposed. Messrs Tristram and Lennon were reappointed auditors.

Votes of thanks were accorded the secretary, manager, staff and chairman.