DAIRY AFFAIRS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 145, 22 June 1931, Page 9

DAIRY AFFAIRS

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS THE ANNUAL PARLIAMENT. The Dairy Farmers’ Parliament as it. has been called will sit at New Plvmouth on June. 24 next, and will probably bast three days. It will be preceded by the annual meeting of the National D- iry Association. Ltd., and this meeting is always taken as the annual, occasion in the North Islands for farmers to ventilate and discuss all matters of importance Io the dairy industry as a whole. After the meeting of the association the National Dairy Conference wi l ' be hcbl. Mr A. Morton (Egmont Village). is president, and the, other members of the conference executive are Messrs T. Moss ■ Eketahuna). J. Gildea (Mahahara), T.’ Winks (Hawcra't. Dynes Fulton (Hamilton). J. D. Brown (Ohau), J. B. Gow (Opotiki), ,T. G. Brechin (Pahiatua), F. H. Anderson (Cambridge), J. B. 'lurdoch (Hawera). and E. S. Tremaine (Whangarci). Mr L. O. Bcnseman is secre tary. Representatives of the South Island dairy industry will also be prise nt. There will be an address by the

Alinistcr of Agriculture, Mr A. J. Murdoch, also by Mr W. M. Singleton. Director f the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture; Mr W. A. Toms, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Control Board. Professor Riddct, Director Dairy Research Institute, and Dr. Marsden, Secretary Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, will deliver addresses I on research, work in the dairy industry. Debatable Subjects. ! There uro over 20 remits to come i before conference from the various dairying parts of the North Island. Among the questions to bo raised will bo formal expression of dissatisfaction with present methods of administration of the dairy industry and reconstitution of the Dairy Board, and, if reconstituted, the board should become the head of tho industry. The board will be asked to hold an annual meeting of representatives of the dairy industry in order that matters of jiiutual interest may be discussed. Reduction of the members of tho board to six, including in future the representatives of tho Government and the merchants, will bo proposed; ami the personnel of tho board shall be limited to dairy farmers. Shall the Board Go? ! Then it will bo moved that a vote ’! of producers be taken to ascertain i from them whether tho board should be, retained or disbanded. Cheese will receive a Jot of attention. Branding will bo discussed on proposals tha. the national brand should go and cheese makers return to their individual brands. Tho brand is a fern leaf. A motion, “That in tho opinion of this National Dairy Conference three grades in cheese arc not required, and are detrimental to tho marketing of New Zealand cheese,” will bo moved, with the recoinniendation that either finest or first grade be deleted. Further, that the industry revert to tho tnanufacture of full cream cheese only, and ’ that tho export of cheese from milk . from which any portion of the butter fat has been extracted be prohibited; also that the waxing of cheese should be abolished.

Local Price of Butter. The returns from the price of butter for consumption in Now Zealand apparently not being high enough in the opinion of some engaged in the industry, it will be suggested that the price be stabilised, and that the Sinclair scheme for stabilisation in NewZealand bo adopted. “That tho GovI ornment bo asked to bring down logh- | lation empowering some responsible ! body to fix selling commissions ami : generally to regulate tho vending of butters on our local markets” is a similar proposal. It will bo moved “That representations bo made to the Government to prohibit, the sale of margarine in NewZealand. ’ ’ Current interest rates for money will engage tho attention of tho conference, for a motion on tho paper reads: “That in order to cheapen required capital for farming an ’ industrial purposes, this conference is < ’ opinion that the Government should immediately cease paying 5A- per cent, for local money, reducing it to 44 per cent. ’ ’ Quality. ' Tho association’s annual report is replete with tabular and other information on the production and export aspects of the industry. In referring to quality it states: Tho quality of our butter has boon well maintained, the

average gradings being slightly bettor (han last season, and complaints from tho marketing end have been comparatively few. The new regulation . . . limiting the lit content ot salted butter appears to have been justified in view of previous complaints regarding inequality in this respect. Tho cheese industry has been confronted by a number of serious pro bleins in regard to quality, and those have been tho subject of exhaustive investigation by the scientific re smirch authorities and others con corned. . . . The matter will b( fully discussed at the conference, anc lhe findings id' the committee np pointed by the Minister will bo placet before delegates at that time.

Referring to prices the association remarks that; while it was generally recognised that, a lower level of prices must bo expected for the season under review, tho industry was not. prepared for the disastrous slump in butter and cheese prices which actually occurred. Tho downward trend of (he world market values as not. confined to dairy produce alone. but applied equally to practically all commodity > prices, being accentuated by the uni- ' versal trade depression, unemployment. ami financial stringency. ‘ • Parochial Jealousies. ’ ’ Overlapping in cream collection is dealt with, -'nd it is reported Hurt it “is costing, in tho aggregate, many thousands of pounds which ultimately comes out, of the farmers’ pockets, and it, is highly desirable that, this unnecessary waste should be eliminated from our midst, especially nt the pre sent time when lower range of pro duco values demands lhe closest scrutiny of operation costs. Producers must realise that the, costly and uneconomic scramble for additional supply does not spell true cooperation, nml narrow views and parochial jealousies

must definitely give way to the xxoler national viewpoint if we are to hold our place in face of changing world conditions.” It is noted that during the past year efforts have been made to overcome tho difficulty. Many districts are reported as de finitely over-factoried, and the divi !<m of available supply in a certain area between two or more factories where one could handle it economically, makes for heavily increased capital and operating costs with correspond ingly low returns to the supplier.