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Dairy Supply Control Order This regulation, which has as its purpose emphasis on the supply of butter in relation to cheese for shipment to Britain, restricts the normal freedom of suppliers to change from supplying cream for buttermaking to supplying milk for cheese-manufacture, xrnd gives greater freedom than is provided in the Dairy-produce Regulations to change supply in the reverse direction. The Order originally came into force in 1940 with an objective of maximum cheese, and in 1942 was altered following the request from the United Kingdom Government to place emphasis on butter instead of cheese. During the year under review a number of applications for exemptions have been received from suppliers, and where the individual circumstances warranted the appeal authority has granted exemptions. The majority of applications have been successful, and there should be few, if any, suppliers who suffer hardship as a result of the Dairy Supply Oontrol Order. Dairy Industry Developments The most important development in the dairy industry during the year was the establishment of the Dairy Products Marketing Commission. There had previously been close co-operation between the Dairy Division and the Marketing Department, both Export and Internal Divisions, and already a good measure of liaison has developed between the Commission and the Dairy Division. Casein continues to be manufactured on the same scale as for the previous year, all the export surplus of both lactic and rennet types being manufactured for shipment to the United Kingdom Board of Trade. The production of buttermilk powder is receiving increasing attention, with seven plants now in operation and a prospect of seven additional plants for the 1948-49 season. Attention is also being given to the possibility of the manufacture of further quantities of roller-process whole-milk powder for shipment to the United Kingdom for infantfeeding. The major constructional developments include a spray-process dried-milk factory by the East Tamaki Co-operative Dairy Co. which is not yet completed, and substantial reconstruction and modernizing of the large dried-milk plants of the New Zealand -Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., particularly at Waitoa. Dairy Products, Ltd., have completed a large sugar-of-milk factory at Kapuni, Taranaki. This unit is the second to be established in New Zealand and will process whey from a number of cheese-factories in the South Taranaki district. Farm Dairy Instruction In the course of their duties Farm Dairy Instructors made 113,914 visits of inspection, instruction, and advice to farm dairies during the year, representing an average of 1,497 visits an officer. They classified 25*4 per cent, of milking-sheds as good, 53-1 per cent, as fair, and 21-5 per cent, as bad. The classification percentages for milking-machines were 29-9, 48-5, and 21*6. These figures reveal the need for considerable improvement in the condition of both sheds and machines. The number of new milking-sheds erected during the year was 1,109 and the number substantially reconstructed 990, compared with 1,083 and 901 in 1946-47. The amount of repair and renovation work carried out was again limited to some extent by the availability of cement. Farm Dairy Instructors were able to see that such quantities as could be made available were used to the best advantage by making recommendations for releases in accordance with the urgency of the work requiring to be done.

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