DAIRY PARLIAMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 151, 28 June 1934, Page 6

DAIRY PARLIAMENT

THE OPENING SESSION. PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ( Per Press Association ). NEW PLYMOUTH, June 27. Only one remit was discussed at the opening session of the National Dairy Association annual conference to-day. Four hundred delegates from all over the Dominion were given a civic reception. The remit, from Wairarapa, suggested the alteration of the system of grading cheese by the elimination of one of the three grades, finest, first and second. The remit suggested that under the present system a quantity cheese was gaing on the British market bearing second grade marks. Opponents to the suggestion said the present three grades were accepted in Britain and it was inadvisable, especially at the present time, to interfere with the accepted system. After a long argument the remit was rejected, only the cheese pro ducers voting. The election of officers resulted: President, Mr. A. Morton (Egmont Village); directors, Messrs. H. T. Tilyard (Greytown), J. Gilder (Maharahara), T. Winks (Hawera), W. Dynes Fulton (Hamilton), J. D. Brown (Ohau), J. G. Brechin (Pahiatua), C. L. Luke (Te Puke), F. H. Anderson (Cambridge), C. P. Appleton (Manga- : whare) and F. Parsons (Whenuakura). The probability of a decrease in dairy production in the coming season as a result of farmers who had turned to dairying going back to sheep, was • mentioned by Mr. Arthur Morton,. president of the National Dairy Association, in his presidential address. Unfortunately, increased production last year had happened at a time when on ing to the world-wide depression, it. really caused some embarrassment. If prices had been the same as they were two or three years ago the high pro duction would have been a tremendous thing for the Dominion. Unfortunately, all New Zealand produce had still* to be disposed of in the one market, a market which was used as a dumping ground by the Dominion’s rivals. Those rivals sold their products in Britain at prices far below the charges made for the same products at Home, and such trading could only be called dumping. Notwithstanding the increase in quantity, the quality of butter had been maintained, and as regards cheese a district improvement had been made. In butter, he questioned if the quality could be much further improved, though there was room for further research in regard to flavour, so as to get New Zealand butter into markets where butter of a certain flavour was desired, such as the Midland and Northern Counties of England and Scotland. They »could already manufacture butter with the right flavour, but it did not have the necessary keeping qualities. Further research was proceeding, and should aid in de- j veloping the sales of Dominion butter.

New Zealand Ciieese. Cheese had undoubtedly shown a distinct improvement, but ttiere were still difficulties to be overcome. One of the greatest was openness, icesearch in regard to this had been proceeding for some time. The cause had not yet been i discovered, though scientists were probj ably very near doing* so. Until they ; could rely upon the general manufac-' ture of cheese showing a I?rm and closer body, they could not De satisfied that all the research necessary had been undertaken. Mr. Morton’s opinion was nupported by a cable sent by the Hign Commission. Unfortunately, the industry had not received a price that would compensate for the improvement snown. Prices during the past year had not improved. They had fluctuated a lit tie, but they had neither receded nor improved very much. He thought the payout of most factories would somewhere approach those of last year. Mr. Morton challenged the statement made by the president of the Royal Agricultural Society, in which he claimed that the past season had been the best the farmer had had since 1911. That might be true so far as the producer of sheep and wool was concerned, but the dairy farmer had never had a worse year. If there was no further increase in production in New Zealand, Mr. Morton thought the question of quotas might not be revived. The increase of consumption, in Britain might ’make restriction unnecessary. I