THE CHEESE INDUSTRY.

Waipa Post, Volume III, Issue 110, 14 May 1912, Page 4

THE CHEESE INDUSTRY.

REVIEWED BY A FARMER. The cheese industry was the subject of remark by Mr W. Howard Booth, president of the Wairarapa and East Coast P. and 9 A. Society, during the course of his address at the annual meeting. The current season, said Mr Booth, will easily prove a record one, both in respect of quality of cheese manufactured and prices obtained. Although the earlier spring, on account of cold, windy and wet weather was none too favourable for milk production, yet the showery weather experienced throughout the whole of the season had been of immense benefit to the dairy farmer and the industry. The prices obtained on the London market for cheese had ranged from 68s to 76s 6d as compared with 55s to 65s 6d for the preceding season. On account of the strike recently experienced in the mining industry in Britain and the consequent shrinkage in the spending power of the masses, prices had now decreased.

Mr Booth quoted the following statement showing the available stocks of Canadian cheese existing on November 30 of each year for seven years 1—1905, 1,000,800 crates; 1906, 93U46; 1907, 732,121, 1908, 707,009; 1909, 733,294 5 1910, 708,270; 1911, 478,111. The decrease in the British make of cheese, he said, was something like 40 per cent, on the preceding year's make, which clearly showed that the prices obtained for cheese were quite legitimate, and not the result of the actions of speculators.

The shortage of cheese imported by Britain for the period of March I, 1911, to February 29, 1912, was 7336 tons. The quantity of cheese exported by New Zealand for this year showed an increase of 12 per cent, to date. The total imports of cheese into the United Kingdom from all sources from October I to March 9 during the last five years were as follows :—I9OB, 957,502 cwt.; 1909, 932,959 cwt.; 1910, 994,721 cwt; 1911, 1,008, 975 cwt.; 1912, 939,265 cwt. On account of the high orice ruling for cheese during the last five years, and the correspondingly high prices paid for butter fat, as compared with prices paid to farmers supplying milk to butter factories and creameries, it was expected that quite a number of butter factories would instal cheese plants during the coming year. New Zealand, said Mr Booth, would be ultimately a cheese-making country, and so long as every care was taken by the farmer and the manufacturer, and only the best cheese exported, a good market and the highest prices would always be obtained. Another important factor to be seriously considered by directors was the manufacture of casein and whey butter. The dairying division of the Department of Agriculture recognised the importance of this branch of the industry, viz., the better and more profitable utilisation of the by-products, and he had no doubt that when some obstacles now existing were overcome more attention would be given to this branch. The Dalefield farmers were to be congratulated on their connection with a firm of produce merchants whose managing director had generously donated to the company one of his purebred Ayrshire bulls, to be delivered free at Wellington. This splendid gift should stimulate the farmers to continue the good work, effected by the testing associations, and give the' farmers opportunity of improving their herds. " I congratulated the farmers of this district last year on adhering to the open consignment policy in the disposal of their cheese," concluded the chairman, "and when the final payments are made for milk for the current season the farmers will have no reason to complain that the system has been again strictly maintained."