Dried Milk Making Venture Too Costly

Chronicle (Levin), 23 July 1949, Page 4

Dried Milk Making Venture Too Costly

Had the directorate considere'd drying its buttermiik and retaihng it as such, asked Mr, P. B. Bartholomew at the annual meeting of shareliolders of the Levin Cooperative Dairy Company on Thursday. Replying, the chairman, Mr. T. G. Vincent, said that it had been considered, but it would cost the company £20,000 to install the necessafy plant and equipment Drie'd milk powder would cost about £30 a ton to produce and retailed at about that price, but the market was uncertain in regard to the future and the company did not think the time was opportune to spend £20,000 on something which might or might not be a suecess. It had also been suggested that the butter milk be dried and used in the manufacture of confectionery, but then again although New Zealan'd butter milk had a 12 per cent. fat content over America's two. it would not, as would be expected, retail at a higher price because it was too rich and the! kee'ping qualities were not sufficient for- the fillings in chocolate. The pig farm at Levin had never been in a healthier position than today and the. pfospects f.or ,fhe t ukunp ' (wqre good; - jBhinik '• * we would be wisef he added, "to keep on putting our butter milk into pork chops."