DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 448, 5 March 1909, Page 8

DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

CONFERENCE AT LYTTELTON. THE NEW REGULATIONS. CBX TELEGUAI'II —rItESS ASSOCIATION.) Christchurch, March 4. Tlio annual confcrcnco of the South Island branch of tlio National. Dairy Association, was hold at Lytteltou to-day. There was a: largo attendance of members, and of various South Island factory managers and representatives. Tho morning was devoted to a practical demonstration, by Mr. Bowman (Government Grader), of tho grading of a number of lines of butter and cheese in the Lyteltoii Harbour Hoard's cool store.

After luncheon tho members met in the board's room in tho Lyttelton - Harbour Board's office, and the afternoon was devoted to a discussion on matters of interest to the dairying community. Mr. John Barnct (Canterbury Central Dairy Company) presided. .

The chairman said there had been a great outcry, and. very much had been said regarding tho dairy regulations, but with very fpw alterations dairymen wero prepared to adopt them. The most important point was how the inspection would bo carried out. Farmers seemed to think that tho same system of inspection would bo carried out in the country as in tho town. Tho town and country men were, however, on a different footing, and when it was considered that the man supplying milk in the towns received one shilling per gallon, and. the poor farmer in the country only received fourpence per gallon, it was very easy to see the great difference in the two positions. The most important question was the kind of man appointed to inspect dairies in tho country. He must not bo a man riding the high horse, and he must not come to them in the form of a constable, because if ho did so it would spell ruin to tho'dairy industry. If country dairymen were receiving as much for their milk as those in tho town, it might pay them to carry out tho wishes of tjio Department in regard to the regulations, but as matters wore at present it was certain that not half of them would give in to the treatment of which they had read so much in the papers. For a long time tho speaker recognised that something should be done for' sometimes crqam came in which was not all it ought to be, and if they could get the Department to carry out inspection <n the lines he had suggested it would bo a boon to dairyfarmers and to New Zealand. (Applause.) ' ■

The secretary of the Central Dairy Company read certain alterations which had boon proposed by his company. These provided that in' place of a settler or dairyman having to go to the office of the inspector to register his premises as a dairy, the inspector should go to the farms and do the registration on the premises. , Tho second recommendation was that the proposed sliding scalo tax on cattle should be abolished. Mention was also nlade of tho clause requiring provision of a concreted holding yard sufficient for the accommodation of all the cattle brought in at one time for milking. It was explained by Mr. H. Turner (Stock Inspector for Canterbury) that the yard needed only to be of sufficient Size , to hold the number brought in at one time irrespective of the total number of the whole herd milked._ Continuing, Mr. Turner said the | ■ regulations were very necessary, and the law would: be properly administered so as to assist the industry in the fullest manner, and to bring it up to the highest pitch. The regu-J lationa wciulsL talf, Tmwii Viiosb tyYio were doing, their duty, and the dirty da.irymcn would be brought up to the . mark. They must recognise that the inspectors were not policemen, and there were very few people who would find tho inspector a very bad man I when they knew him. (A .member: "That's j so.") Referring to the proposed amendments, Mr. Turner said lie would ask tho ■ secretary to hand them to him' so that lie could forward them to the head of the Department in Wellington^ Mr. Bruce (Stock Inspector' fpr Otago) said he had had a great deal to do with tho regulations, and lie had paid a good deal of attention to' see what was going on in his district. He found that factory and creamery managers were pretty well unanimously of the opinion that the quality of the. milk and its genera] condition had been far better this year than in any'previous season. The settlers were of opinion that the, inspectors had [ been exceedingly considerate in endeavouring in every way to -assist them in overhauling and cleaning up their premises, and tliey had not asked them to undertake structure alterations of any importance. Tho settlors were now finding the benefits of the inspection, '

It was unanimously decided that the dairy regulations should be given a fair trial. Mr. D. Cuddie (Dairy Commissioner) gave a brief addresses on the dairying methods adopted m Denmark. Votes of thanks were accorded to Messrs. Turner^and Cuddie for their interesting addresses, and a similar .vote to the chairman concluded tho meeting.