MILKING MACHINES

Waipa Post, Volume 31, Issue 1766, 5 June 1926, Page 3

MILKING MACHINES

DEVELOPMENT OF DAIRYING.

ADDRESS to rotary club

The astonishing progress made in the development of the milking machine since it was first invented about 30 years ago was described by Mr G. N. Baggett, in an address .to the Wanganui Rotary Club last week. The fit'st apparatus seen in New Zealand was introduced from Scotland, and on account of its cumbersome nature did not find favour. Ten years later a Taranaki farmer developed a practical outfit,, embodying the releaser system, which at once achieved popularity. Subsequently milking machines were,developed to the highest possible pitch of mechanical perfection, and would now milk cows more thoroughly than hand milkers. The expansion that had taken place in the New Zealand dairying industry was largely due to the use of the milking machine. Butter exported in 1903 was 13,250 tons, and in 1922, 56,000 tons were sent out of the country. Cheese exports had increased from 3750 tons to 55.000 tons in the same period. These figures gave some idea of the increase in output which was in no way due to the introduction of the milking machine. DRUDGERY ELIMINATED. There were now approximately 14,000 milking machines in New Zealand, milking 620,t*d0 cows, and the milking machine had dispensed with much of the drudgery and child labour which attended the dairying industry when hand-milking was in vogue. ELECTRIC MOTORS. a service point of view, 95 per cent, of the trouble farmers had experienced with their milking plants had been with the motive power and not with their machines. This had gradually been solved by the improvement of the high-combustion engine, and the increased use of electric motors. Mr Baggett said that New Zealand held pride of place among other countries in the manufacture of milking machines., No other country in the world had been bale to compete against the. machines designed and constructed by New Zealanders. Several foreign countries had tried to establish their machines on our market but -without success. The speaker said he knew of one large- foreign concern that spent about £SOOO experimenting, ~ and when they reckoned their manufacture was perfect they discovered that New Zealand had long before- forgotten what they had just lea-mod of the construction of milking machines. At the conclusion of his address Mr Baggett was. tendered a hearty vote of thanks.