NATIONAL DAIRY ASSOCIATION

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13928, 11 June 1909, Page 2

NATIONAL DAIRY ASSOCIATION

The fifteenth annual report of the National Dairy Associate has just been issued and will bo preseifrlilto members at tho annual meeting at Palmerston on June 22. Tho association, it is pleasing to note, is making steady progress and becoming increasingly useful to the industry, most of tho co-operative companies and exporters in tho Wellington, larauaki, and Hawke's Bay districts are joining it. The report states that the season just closed has been a remarkablo ono in many respects, and goes on to refer to its loading features. Chief among theso wo should placo tho fact that, whilo the quality of butter, fmm a wi"Un<r standpoint, has boon as high as previously, unfortunately the London buyer has not expressed the same satisfaction with its condition as formerly. As suggested a day or two i» K o, it may bo that dealers who have lost heavily on our butter, which they had bought at a high prico. are inclined to be hypercritical and to find fault with tho quality without good reason, or it may bo that tho greater moisture in the butter exported dunlin the. season just ended, while not affecting the quality at this end. has affected tho keeping qualities of the butter. This is a matter which onjjlit to bo settled as soon as possible so that a remedy may bo applied. Tho association's I report points to a sicrnihoant fact that I thero was a growing disparity in the prices realised by Danish and New Zeaf and butters as the season advanced. In the early part of tho season our butter was within a few shillings of Danish but later on there was a difference of 03 to 12s per cwt. in favour of Danish W e may not bo able to reach tho same level as Danish, but thero must bo some removable cause for our dropping so ar behind. On the other hand, Ft is highly satisfactory to find that New cheese is gaining favour. The .ondon agent of the Association Mr fllackio, wrote under date January 22 that the cheese per Corinthic "was considered on all hands to bo tho best ever received from New Zealand. I have never seen anything better; the improvement m quality is remarkable. The quality is far in advance, of last year. This improvement may be in a measure duo to tho cheese being carnod Homo at a temperature more suitable to assist tho maturing process but whatever tho cause, it k n-ratffS ,-„<»' Ihe V.est of England service, tho re)ort says, has proved very unsatisfactory, owing to irregularity of departure of steamers and length of voyage i • 18 suKSested that it miflit "be advisable to endeavour to improve tho connection. It seems to us, however hat the trade with West of England ports will have to be very much greater before it will be possible' to get a faster and more regular service. In tho meantime probably London is the more profitable market. Attached to the report are some interesting tables relating to the industry. From that civin^ tfie exports of butter and choose from the dominion for the year ended April 30 we gather that ofl^.S-W cwt of butter and 329 910 cwt. of ohees<\ Taranaki contributed no les-s than 119 520 cwt. of butter and 157.193 cwt." ot cheese, while Auckland's share was 84 - 159 cwt and 9267 owt. and Wellington's 55 312 owt and 52 R32 cwt rosopctivelv. Thus Taranaki's claim to bo tho pcreatest dairying province is as vet unassailed.