INSTRUCTION IN DAIRYING

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1688, 19 November 1925, Page 7

INSTRUCTION IN DAIRYING

"THE OBJECT OF THE SERVICE"

At a conference of dairy factory directors and managers, held on Tuesday evening, Mr W. E. Gwillim, Assistant-Director of the Dairy Division, Department of Agriculture, made some interesting comments regarding the farm dairy instruction, service. Mr Gwillim said that the service was instituted in 1912, when in the hope that the condition of milk for butter and cheese making would be improved a co-operative dairy company desired the appointment of an officer of the Dairy Division for the purpose of instructing suppliers in the care of milk on the farm. The desired improvement was brought about, and the instructional service had become increasingly popular amongst dairy companies and their suppliers. At March 31st last the total number of dairy companies or groups of dairy companies employing a farm dairy instructor was- forty-six, and the total number of instructors was thirty-one. The total number of suppliers served by these officers was 23,113, out of a total of 55,188 suppliers of milk and cream to dairy factories, or about 41 per cent, of the whole. Butterfat graded as butter and cheese from the factories employing farm 'dairy instructors represented 44 per cent, of the total graded for export.

At the end of March the service was operative in parts of Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland Since that date applications for instructors had been received from some eleven further factories in South Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Wanganui. Manawatu and Gisborne In addition, five dairy companies had joined existing groups already employing instructors The instructional staff would be increased to 3S officers, who would serve some 30,000 suppliers. On the basis of last year's grading figure supplies of milk and cream from these dairymen would represent 60 per cent, of the butterfat exported, in the nature of butter and cheese.

"The object of the service." said Mr Gwillim, "is to assist the milk producer by advice and guidance in the best methods of handling milk and cream." The speaker said that as a result of the increased farm dairy instruction work the Department was looking forward with confidence to an improvement in the quality of butter and cheese this season. The work of the instructor was considerably assisted by those companies who graded their supplies of milk and cream and paid differential prices for each grade. Many companies had done this for th 3 past ten years and more. A number of companies had not yet found it expedient to do so, but the Department hoped the time was not far distant when they would."

Several representatives present raised the question of powers vested in the farm dairy instructors, and whether in their duties they would harass suppliers if things were not quite up to the mark.

Mr Gwillim, in replying, said that the instructors were out to help suppliers in every possible way. Whilst the former had the power of an inspector under the Dairy Inspectors Act they could not use them without the concurrence of their superior officers. In not one instance since the beginning of the scheme of instruction in 1912 had there been a prosecution under the Act. The instructors left their official tag at the office and moved amongst dairy farmers in a friendly and advisory capacity. Mr Grounds', chairman of the Dairy Produce Control Board, thought that as a body the dairy farmers welcomed the assistance of the Departmental instructors. 'He endorsed what had been said by the Assistant Director of the Dairy Division in that instructors had no desire to harass the supplier. The Departmental officers did everything possible to assist the dairymen without exerting the attitude of an official.