CHEESE QUALITY.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18165, 1 November 1930, Page 9

CHEESE QUALITY.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Much has been heard on this subject lately, and there seems to be a strange reluctance to face the position squarely. In the first place, the reported remarks of the President of the Jersey Breed Society at Palmerston on the attitude of the Control Board chairman, as regards standardisation, were quite uncalled for, and to be strongly deprecated by any fair minded individual. If there was any nonsense talked, it was probably at the Jersey Breed meeting. The Waikato' Dairy Company directors should consider the -advisability of proliibiing any employee from holding an executive position on any breed society to prevent the possibility of dairy companies being used for propaganda purposes. If one may judge .from the report of the Jersey Breed meeting, its members are prepared to sacrifice the cheese, industry for their own pecuniary benefit. In view of the voting on the standardisation question at the last Control Board meeting, it seems absurd -for Waikato to be satisfied with making an inferior article, and in -my own mind, I am quite sure that, although the fat -content is as goad as the full cream article, it is still inferior. The recent success of Otago cheese at Home seems to show plainly that our cheese makers can deliver the goods if they get 'the right -class of milk. It has been said that the attitude of the South 'lsland producers is illogical in demanding the abolition of standardisation, as they are excluded from the governing Act. It is a well known fact among farmers and business people generally, that an inferior article, whether live stock or goods, has a depressing' effect on the good article in the same market. Looked at in this light, the attitude of the South is quite reasonable and the North should not be satisfied with anything less than its best for export.

Some comment has been made on the attitude of Taranaki, but their views are no surprise to me, as. on a visit there three years ago I was informed ,it was being realised a mistake had been made in using Jerseys extensively a£ they are at the bottom of most of our cheese-maker’s troubles. Taranaki last season standardised, but in view of the dissatisfaction at Home with the resultant article, are now prepared to revert to full cream as is evidenced by the voting on the Control Board.

It seems to me nobody >is particularly to blame for the present position of the cheese industry. . We are all equally gililty in that we have been pursuing the butterfat fetish, which is the cause of all our troubles. The time has arrived when the Jersey should be definitely banned for cheese supply. The present system of- payment on butterfat is most unfair, as the 'Jersey milk is paid for at a rate far beyond its cheese making value, with consequent injustice to the lower testing milk, which is really the better milk, and should be paid for at a higher rate, instead of a lower, as at present. It appears to me that the most urgent reform required at present is a reliable test for the solid content of milk for cheese making, or,.if the butterfat basis is adhered to, some fair system of deductions for high testing milk could be devised by experiment. This is a matter for dairy scientists and requires their urgent at-

tention. On the introduction of actual value payment of cheese milk, it would be necessary to abandon the butterfat basis for herd testing cheese producers and substitute the gallons per cow as the standard of excellence. It appears to' me nonsense to say that standardisation is a necessity to Waikato. I venture to say producers .could, and would, revert to the lower testing breeds, and without any loss, just as soon as dairy company directors can introduce a fair system of payment. As long as the butterfat system is adhered to, so long will our troubles last, with probably disastrous results to ourselves and our market at Home. Any attempt on our part to educate the people at Home to be satisfied with the standardised article is likely to be a costly experiment to the producer, and is to be strongly condemned. If the consumers want full cream they musk have it; we must •ahvays adapt 'Ourselves to the requirements of our customers. That is good business, and I am sure Waikato producers will 'deliver the goods just as soon as our leaders get down to business, and cease to allow themselves to be mesmerised by the Jersey Breed Society. In conclusion, remember, we often complain that the British manufacturers do not study our requirements with consequent loss to themselves. Do not let that be said of the Waikato cheese producers. I am, etc., R. G. YOUNG. Gordonton, October 30, 1930.