HOME SEPARATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1411, 11 April 1912, Page 8

HOME SEPARATION.

LOCAL BID FOE NELSON AND MAELBOKOUGH CEEAM. A few years ago homo separation was looked upon by those interested in the dairy industry as being likely to ruin tho good name of Sew Zealand butter, and many, it must bo said, still hold to this opinion. During the past year or two, however, great strides have been made in home separation by the introduction of what is known as neutralising the cream, the result being that it is pussible to bring cream from long distances two or three times a week, and to reduce tlio acidity in the cream to that uf new milk. Consequently the small farmers in isolated districts can now send their'cream in and receive as good a prico for it as if they were suppliers to a big factory in a much more favoured locality. To such an extent has this movement grown in tho Waikato that the Hamilton Dairy Company is this year making about 800 tons of butter, although tho company has only been operating for about three years. The possibilities of tho new process being of material benefit to the Nelson and Marlborough districts was mentioned yesterday by Mr. H. C. Hill, managing director of Messrs. Hill and Barton, Ltd., a local firm of butter manufacturers. Mr. Hill remarked that he is convinced that cream can be brought over from Nelson and Blenheim to "Wellington, and a price paid for butter-fat that will exceed the price that can be paid by the companies at present operating in tho districts mentioned. The position, he added, was reallv a very simple one. Tho majority of tho small factories made anything from twenty to forty tons of butter in the season—usually from six to' eight months—and it meant that the whole of the cost of running the factory had to be paid on, the season's supply, and the smaller the output the bigger the expense. Nearly every year these small companies paid about 2d. per lb. less for butter-fat than could be paid if they were supplying'all the cream to one factory. "My 'idea." said Mr. Hill, "is to arrange to tako the cream and bring it to "Wellington. "We can manufacture at a much less cost than the small companies abovementioned, and consequently we will be able to pay a much higher price for the bnfter-fat, which fact will directly benefit the individual farmer and the district." Mr. Hill left for Blenheim yesterday, and from there he will go on to Nelson to forward his scheme.