DAIRY PARLIAMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 149, 26 June 1931, Page 9

DAIRY PARLIAMENT

IMPORTANT DECISIONS CHEESE STANDARDISATION ABOLITION RECOMMENDED f Per »*-eiiS Association. J NEW PLYMOUTH, June 25. Decisions of importance to tho dairi industry were reached at to-day’s session of the National Dairy Conference at which over 606 attended. The most significant recumindndation was one to revert from standardised to full cream cheese, which in effect calls on the Government to prohibit the export of cheese made from milk from which any portion of butter-fat ha* been extracted. A recommendation tu reduce the number of grades from three tu two was defeated, as was a remit that waxing of cheese be abolished. A recommendation tu abolish the national brand and return to individual brands was lost. A committee rus aet up tu investigate the question of unified control. The North Island representatives ou the committee are Messrs btubbs (Northern Wairoa). Anderson (Cambridge). Free (Mangatohik), Marchant (Cardiff), Roberts (Parkvale), and Begley (Hcretaunga). .South Island: Messrs Fisher, Bagrie and Smith. In a discussion on standardisation, Air Dixon (Pakowai) said that the reference made to standardised cheese in the House of Commons was the worst advertisement the industry had ever received. Air W. A. lorns, chairman of the Produce Board, said he had been fairly well abused for having told the industry the truth about its position in the United Kingdom. If the conference i decided to vote out standardisation a? | a result of his statements, he would bo the happiest man there. He considered that it was necessary to speak strongly when he returned, as it was necessary that action should be taken. If the quality was good, it would bring the best price. The Dairy Board ha«l received letters from all parts of Great Britain urging New’ Zealand not to send skimmed cheese. It was his duty to tell the truth fearlessly. He had indulged in no recriminations in spite of the mud thrown at him, but he was prepared to debate tho matter publicly with anyone, and could promise to give concrete, cold facts. Air Dynes Fulton said that reports had been received from English traders that they could sell standardised as easily as full cream cheese. If members of the London Importers’ Association only wanted fu.i cream cheese, why did they buy standardised? He considered that Air lorns and other members of the Dairy Board had done more harm than anyone to the cheese industry. His company’s information was that the consumers did not know whether it was standardised or full cream they were purchasing, and the propaganda against the former came

from tho blenders, who did not get tho same amount of fat in standardised a, full cream. When moisture content in butter was legalised, importers said that the trade would be ruined. Thii had not occurred, and the producer had benefited by the moisture content. He had fought for standardisation and still believed that with it they could have given a higher return to the producer last season. His company had paid £20,000 more for the fat taken from milk for cheese making. The propaganda against standardised cheese was not justified. If the best quality al ways brought the highest price, why did’ not the importers pay a higher price for the higher quality South L land chese? (Voices: They do!) The aoblition of standardisation would feet the butter factories also. He coi sidered that the Dairy Division should make a further experiment. He was willing to place r factory at their disposal, and he appealed to the conference, as producers, to take this course. The Department’s cheese could Mima be sent to England unmarked, and thej would see how it panned out. Mr Burton (Kaipororo) said that if the remit were carried it would mean the closing of many factories where they were receiving high-testing milk. No one could say that standardising had caused the slump in prices, but it had been the scapegoat. The recoinmendtaion that standardisation be abolished was carried by a large majority, although a large amount of production was represented by the opposition votes.