THE CHEESE INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 10

THE CHEESE INDUSTRY.

REVIEWED BY A FAKMER. The checso industry ua9 the s.ubject of remark by Mr. W. Howard.Booth, president of the Wnirni'apa/and East Coast I'. and A. Society, during the course of his address at the annual meeting. The current season, said Mr. Booth, will easily prove a-record one, both-in-respect -of quality of cli&sVmanitfa'ct'ural aiid prices obtained. Although,.tlio earlier spring. 011 account of cold,-windy and wet weather, was none 100 favourable lor nulk production, yet the showery Weather exj perienced throughout the whole of the season had'licch of immense''benefit to t.he dairy fanner" -and the. industry; ■ Theprices obtained 011 the London market for cheese had ranged from 685.. to 765. 6d., as compared with 555. to 60s. 6d. for the preceding season. ■ On account of the Btrikc recently experienced in the mining industry in Britain and the consequent shrinkage in' the spending power of the masses, prices had now decreased.' ' 3lr. Booth-.quoted..tho following statement showing tho available • slocks of Canadian-cheese existing on November 30 of each year for seven years:—l!)osi 1,000,SOO crates; 1906. 931.1-16; 1907, 732.121; 19(18, 707,009; 1909, 733,291; 1910, 705.270; 1911, 478.111. The decrease in the British make of cheese, he said, was something like 10 per cent. 011 the precedins year's make, which clearly showed that the prices obtained for cheese were quite legitimate, and not. the result of > .the actions of speculators. The shortage of cheese imported by Britain for-the period of March 1,-1911. (0 February 29, 1912, was 7336 tons. The quantity of cheese exported by Now Zealand for this year showed an increasft of 12 per cent! to'date.' The total imports of cheese into tho United Kingdmn-frnm all sources. from October 1 to March 9 during tho last five rears were as follows:—1P0S, 957,502 cwt.; 1009, 932,959.cwt.; 1910. 991,721 cwt.; 1911, 1,008,975 cwt.; 1912, 939.265 cwt. • On account of the high; price ruling for clicese during tli? last five years, and the correspondingly high prices paid-for but-ter-fat, as compared with prices paid to farmers supplying .milk_ to butter, factories and creameries, it was expected that quite a number of butter factories ■would iustil'-'chde'se plants, during the coming year. New Zealand, said Mr. Booth, would he ultimately a eheese-mak-ing country, and so long as every care was taken bv (he farmer and tho manufacturer, and only .the l> 4 sfcht»se' exported, a good market and tho highest prices would always be obtained. Another important factor to be seriously considered V directors was tho manufacture of casein and whey btit'or. The Dairving division of the Department of Agriculture raogrii c cd the importance of this branch of the indiistrv. viz., the better and more profitable utilisation of tho byproducts, and he had no doubt -when some obstacles now existing , . w?re ; overcome, more attention would -be. given to this branch. The Dalefmld. farmers were to "be congratulated on then*.connection with a firm of produce merchants' whose man-, rging director bad psnerbiisly donated, to" the comnany ,on« of his purebred Ayrshire b"Hs to It? delivered free ai Wellington. This'splendid riffc;s)iould;slimulat o tho' farmers to :coptinue. .the ;gr\od. work c fFort»d bv ■tlie : tesfiiisr .associations., and pirn fiia farmers o« nr irfmii'v of i'nnrnvjn" 'heir herd*. "T congratulated . the farmers of this'district last year 011' ad- to the onen cansi«nmo'it polic.v in tho" f i;™=nl of their cheese," rrtiHmlnl chairman. ."au/l..wben the final paynwta are made' for n i'lc for the-current tipoenn tho fnrp<"rs'will have 110 reason to co-'plain thai ''»■ 'v.slem has been ngniu strictly maintained."