SCIENCE AS AN ALLY.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18877, 22 February 1933, Page 10

SCIENCE AS AN ALLY.

BUTTER AND CHEESE MAKING. FINNS AND HOLLANDERS LEAD. OPINION OF WIDE TRAVELLER. The considered opinion that Finland and Holland at present lead tho world in the scientific manufacture of butter and cheese was given to a Taranaki Herald reporter by Air Raymond Thomas, director of foreign sales for the Aluminium Plant and Vessel Company, Ltd., London. On this subject fcw r people could bo better qualified to speak than Mr Thomas, because his business activities have taken him into dariy factories in every country in the worid that produces dairy produce on any substantial scale. Possibly he has been in as many different dairy factories as any other man connected with the industry.

Those two countries, said Mr Thomas, brought to bear in tho manufacture of butter and cheese rather more scientific treatment of milk and cream Ilian Hie manufacturers in other countries. They were continually testing for bacteria with a view to their elimination and the improvement, of the finished product and its keeping qualities.

Prevention of Ro-Infectlon. Mr Thomas confirmed the recently expressed opinion that it was not unlikely that bacteria might; breed in the open drains used in most. New Zealand factories. Most 'countries dealing witii dairy produce in a modern way were beginning lo use some form of enclosed system for the treatment of the milk and cream with tho object of avoiding re-infection from airborne germs. Ho was at pains to point, out that lie did not advance this opinion because he was selling Hie new plant. For years his firm and others of a similar type had been advocating the. enclosed system and most people "in Finland, Holland, Sweden, Norway and oilier countries were coming to Hie same conclusion. Once the cream or milk had been pasteurised, and ‘tile, bacteria count reduced lo approximately 10,000 per cubic centimetre, manufacturers did not. desire to run the risk of ro-infcclion by exposing ii over a surface cooler. In America Ihe health authorities xvere advocating Hie use of covers on coolers for Hie prcpar.nlion of milk for city supplies and llioy were largely used. A leading concern of ils kind in Hie Slates was making a most elaborate system of enclosed healing and cooling for city milk, nil with Ihe object of proveniing re-iiiforlion from the air. It seemed reasonable to suppose, said Mr Thomas, that butter made from cream with a low bacteria count should have heller keeping qualities, and Ihe same applied lo cheese. in 193 d Finland sent lo Britain 26.1 33.1 201 b of butter and Hie N'ellierl.mds 9,978,5281 b of butter and 2'L3O i. 3 I 2l!> of cheese compared with New Zealand's I 73.,8.3d,.86 iHi of butter and 2 I 9.629.9 121 b of cheese. In Finland the industry was definitely groxy-

ing but the same could not be said of Holland because Germany had closed her doors :to the Holland produce, so that dairymen in that country were now experiencing a lean period. When in Holland only a few months ago he had been told repeatedly by responsible men that the price of butter -there was lower than it -had-been for 100 years.

Peogress In Other Countries. Speaking of other Continental countries making dairy produce, Air Thomas said that Sweden and Norway xvere both very up to date, probably more so 'than Nexv Zealand. The type of pasteuriser used here xvas falling into disuse in Europe. Norway xvas a small country, not very rich, and xvith a small population, hut Sweden in 1930 sent 31,341,9671 b of butter lo Great Britain. He lcncxv of no better institution of its kind than the Alanarp Agricultural College in Sxveden. It xvas not true that Sxveden had escaped the effecls of the depression. Loxv butter prices had hit producers badly and the lot of the farmer xvas no more rosy than that of his New Zealand counterpart. In addition tho Kreuger exposures had had a far-reaching effect and shaken the morale of the people. Poland, Estonia and Latvia are among the countries that Mr Thomas has visited. All are fairly big producers of dairy produce for their size, but Ihe quality of .Jhe article hardly reaches the high standard set by some of the other countries. ' In addition large makers of dairy machinery had ■sold much flrst-'clnss plant to,Russia but the butter that reached London was not- of I lie best quality. Reverting to New Zealand Air Thomas said that he had been impressed by the great interest shoxx’ii by New Zealand dairymen in -what lie had to 'tell them of European methods, also in Hie work of Dr. Annett and the scientific methods employed •by him on his farm near Hamilton.

Methods of Marketing. Touching on the Sinclair plan for the 'stabilisation of butter prices, Air Thomas said that from xvhat lie knew of it the idea sounded most reasonable. At present it looked as though Hie consumer in New Zealand xvas paying too little for butter. He concurred in Ihe oft-expressed opinion that New Zealand had something to learn from tlie Danes in the marketing of produce in Hie Old Country. Their methods wore very scientific, xvhereas there seemed to lie room for improvement in Hie selling of New Zealand produce. With oilier countries there was no under-culling of prices. All I lie, produce xvent through a central channel controlled by Hie producers themselves. Valio, Hie big Finnish eo-operalivc concern, had ils own offices in Hull to control Hie produce and the produce had to satisfy both their own graders and those of the Government.