IMPERILLED

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2802, 21 June 1916, Page 6

IMPERILLED

OUR CHEESE INDUSTRY

MOVE TO SAVE IT (Special Reporter.) Palmerston North, 20. The uncertainty of New Zealand's rennet supply is causing anxiety for the safety of tho cheese industry. At today's meeting of the National Dairy Association, a proposal was made -that a co-operative rennet company should he formed, with a capital of .£20,000 (in .£1 shares), the shares to bo taken up by the companies in proportion to their output. Mr. Fisher (Carterton), one of the directors ijf the N.D.A., who moved the proposal, said that only half tho Tenhet orders taken this year would be delivered, as tho Russian Government had prohibited the export from Russia of the raw material. If a New Zealand company was formed, as proposed, every factory would be responsible for the supply of tho raw material, and they in turn would throw the onus on the individual supplier. And the way success could be secured would be to say: "If you don't supply the raw material you will get no manufactured article." It took about 30,000 gallons of rennet for the manufacture of tho whole of the cheese in the '.Dominion, and for the sake of making that much rennet we were imperilling the .cheese industry. The present stocks would only carry us half through the coming season. Efforts to get an export had so far failed. Tho Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture would give what advice thoy could to aid the project. Mr. Daysh seconded the motion. The Dairy Commissioner (Mr. D. Cuddie) was asked to speak on tho subject. He said that tho matter had been exercising the minds of the members of the Dairy Division for somo time.:' Injuries had been made in England T>y Mr. Wright, the New Zealand Government's representative, who found that there was a good deal of secrecy about the making of rennet—some of the men at the works were never allowed in • certajn portions of the building. . The Department had not been idle in tho matter, and had already proved (by a recent test), that the raw material could be saved and sent to England in good condition. The producers should not tako the risk of being unable.to get the rennet from the Continent, and tho proposal should be supported. Failing tnat, the meeting snould at least resolve that the raw material should be saved. l ? or 30,000 gallons of rennet about 180,000 veils would be needed.

Mr.. Marchant' (Cardiff): What is the minimum age the' calf should be? Mr. Cuddie said that there was no minimum age, but the calf should have had milk food. '

Mr.' A. Morton (Egmont Village) said that it would probably bo found that the best age was two i days. Forty days was the maximum age. Mr. Middleton (Canterbury): To show what proportion of the calves would have to be killed, can Mr. Cuddie say how many dairy cows there are in the Dominion?

Mr. Cuddie: About 700,000. But not all the 180,000 calves might need to bo killed; it might only be necessary' to supplement the supply of rennet 'imported.

Mr. Griffiths (New Plymouth): Anyhow, that would probably only be about the number which are killed already. Mr. Burton (Kaiparoro) asked what would happen if, after the establishment of the company, the imported . artiole came, in and competed with the local article. Would the local factory be dismantled ?

Mr. Morton said that would be a matter for the company to decide. Soveral speakers advocated merely saving the veils.

_ Mr. W. D. Powdrell advised the' meetins to go right ahead with the company.' There might even be an outside demand for our rennet after the war. Hethought a shilling could be paid for each veil. He represented one of the largest factories in the Dominion, and that factory killed about 5000 calves in a season. At Is. each that would only amount to and, even if the veils were not needed, that £250' would be a cheap insurance that the industry would be kept going.

Mr. Foster (South Island Dairy Association) said the chief difficulty would bo that of obtaining expert information and help, but his company was willing to fall into lino if the motion was carTied.

Mr. Morton mentioned that, it had been stated by a Minister of the Crown that in a year 80,000 calves were killed in Tarnnaki alone. Mr. Morton thought at. least 150,000 must be killed' in the whole Dominion.

' After further disoussioiv if was resolved. "That a company should be formed to manufacture rennet in New Zealand, the capital to be ,£20,000 divided into 20,000 shares of ,£1 each, and to be taken up by the dairy companies at the rate of one share to every two tons of cheese produced." The following- were elected provisional directors ; -Jlewrs. Wise .. (Eketahuna), Allen (Cnmbndwl. W. Fisher. (Carterton), ,T. Marx (Maniratoki), Moss (Now'"ii'O.Jf- Forsyth (Bltham), and Murdoch (Joll s).