DRIED MILK.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15531, 19 June 1918, Page 8

DRIED MILK.

A PROFITABLE INDUSTRY. Speaking last week in Hamilton, at the annual dinner of the Waikato Cooperative Dairy Company, Mr W . Goodfellow, the managing director, said: Ail kinds of rumours were going the rounds re dried miik, canned miit, sugar of milk, Swiss chocolate, etc., with probable payments of from 3s to 5s per lb butter-fat. Such rumours hare electrified the whole farming community of South Auckland province. Alhliougli the position has been exaggerated somewhat, vet it must be quite evident to all thinking people that the dairy industry is in a transition stage at the present time. Great changes might be expected shortly. The scattered districts would continue to separate, and would benefit bv the new conditions, owing to the shortage of all young stock. Realising the jiosition, the company s directors along with the directors of the Thames Valiev and Combridge Co-operative Dairy Companies, about three months ago, decided to send Messrs Shirley, Dixon and Peterson, the respective managers, to the I mted States of America to investigate dried milk and the dairy industrv generally. They were to negotiato'for the best machine procurable, and it was pleasing to know that their mission had been successful. The representatives had practically completed negotiations for tho sole New Zealand agency for a machine to manufacture dried‘milk powder by a process more up-to-date ami superior to the roller system now in use in this country. It would probably be six months before the first factory was erected in the vicinity of Matamata by the Waikato Co-opera-tive Dairv Company, Ltd. TTie Cambridge Co-operative Dairy Company. Ltd.° would go ahead at Hantapu. and the Thames Valley Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., in the vicinity of Te Aroha. FAPWfTON OF DRIED MILK INDUSTRY. Dealing with the history of dried milk in New Zealand, the speaker said Joseph Nathan and Company, at Bnnnvthorpe, had manufactured in oil,to a -mall way for many years past, and tho industry was in practically an cxix-runerta! stage until quite recently. The statement that the patent rights for tho manufacture of dried milk were held bv a company had been completely exploded Ail they could lay claim to was a trade name. lu 1914. in the I'nited States of America, there were 20 plant- in operation—whereas to-day there wore oven* loO—all proprietary concerns, and they had been nearly all paid for, besides * distributing from 3s Pd to +- lb butter-fat to suppliers. Three products wore manufactured —full cream powder, half cream powder, and skim milk powder The milk was first of all c,.| ir.ii.d, and then cream added as regain'd it was understood that Now Z.ea'and m.lk powder contains ayproxim.itolv 2.0 fat. The bulk of the powder exported from here would probably lu* skim milk |>owder, and consequently there need be no anxiety in regard to the mture production of butter. As an illustration the speaker -aid that lewt of New Zealand butter in I/Oiidon’ would return 190s, whereas had the milk fmm which this butter was made i»‘<n converted into skim milk powder ami butt' r. a return of 510s would b.- receiv'd. Skim milk powd-’r was to-dav worth I" 1 *, [XT cwt in Ixindon. ft rnu-l lie unite evident that tho manufacture of dried milk wa.- a very profitable business. A PHUMANENT INDUSTRY. Apparently on a eo-operativo basis during the coming season, it would be [i -s i.le to pav out 3- 6d per lb br.tU'rtat. However. :n order to finance this i-rf. me it would probably he found ad-vi-iole to i■ ,y out- approximately 3,. a ini write oft the ; Pint in two years. Factories would h- erected in suitable centres, wh-re m : !k supply from 300'! cow- wold he available twice daily. If v.a.- i-tiinat.-d that plant and buildings would c-t frow £ls.' •’»> to 120.(Ml ea. hj N . doubt the dried milk business hj., d c tr ■ t" -tav and from information rev iv' d IT. in London and other -oums Mr Good!, T w L:al no bc-itation in saying th it lb" dried, n.ilk industry would hj- a pirmamnt one. Already there »'i- an unsat i.-iied demand in Muroie. and it is on,I" evid. c.t that in the r.e.ir future tins onsl’n t would te t . Afri'd and A-ia. In Indii alone v. r.- gr.-at oj port unities. Some v.o-c um!. •• the impre-sion that F/mdoii •r’ ’ - wi uid fall rapidlv after the war, t it this w.i- ualikely. at.d suppliers m;;-t rrmember tiiat they would have to receive I igger payments for their produ -■ in future than \vh"ii working under pro-war cordlfions, owing to the great’y decre.a-ed pnr- haring power of the sovi reign. Te’,- pc rads'’ that r os for meat, butt atid cheers' m N ->r Zealand to-d.iv were hover Ilian in a-’v " ,l T ; art of t/- w.rid. It was a f i" \ >;■ w i dev t»’o pre.- T.t position w’t hj r-ga-d to i r--. mannfaet’irc of dried rmlk ;n V.;< /e.i! md that prompted t lto tliree diirv e<uni;,inic- to -end their last brain- to IS- ( nited State's <f tmeric. l , to in vc-t-giitlu ennclu-in.n. the speak'r -fated that it would be recognised in 'oar- to eome that this prompt a n't an t d action of the Waikato t’-v ope-aGv" Dairy Company. Ltd., the Thames Valiev Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., and the Cambridge Co-oper-ative Dairy Company Ltd., had saved co-operation m the dairv Industry for the S.uith Auckland province. The speaker resumed his scat, amidst prolonged applause.