DAIRYING PROSPECTS IN TARANAKI

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2973, 10 January 1917, Page 8

DAIRYING PROSPECTS IN TARANAKI

CONGESTION RELIEVED. By Correspondent. Wanganui, January 9. Tho congestion of dairy produco, which was assuming a serious aspect in Taranaki, is now within measurable distance of being .overcome. Mr. A. Morton, .chairman of the Taranaki Producers' Freezing Company, has received advice that 11,500 crates of cheese will be-shipped by the Corinna next week for transhipment to a Home liner at Wellington. This will completely clear all the cheese that has had to be placed in temporary storage, and will also considerably ease the congestion at the works. Tho price received for tho cheese, namely, 9§d., is generally considered very satisfactory to the producer. At a safe estimato, cheese factories will pay out Is. 9Jd. to Is. lOd. per lb. butter-fat, after payment of the 3d. per lb. levy, and despite tho increased cost of manufacture (rennet has advanced from 655. to £35 per keg), some factories will he ablo to pay out a higher figure, and they will be assisted by the high price realised for whey-butter. One South Taranaki factory has realised for its whey butter 200s. Factories that are manufacturing butter, together with the skim milk by-woduci casein, should do equally as well, if not hatter, than the cheese factories, that is, provided the price of butter continues at its present high level. There has been a slight drop lately owing to the arrival of shipments, and another heavy shipment may cause a further drop. Casein is a most valuable by-product, being eoual to 4d. per lb: butter-fat, and with further iisps being found for it each rear it is likely to become more valuable. Those factories in Taranaki that were pnternrising enough to install plants in the pioneering davs of the industry nra now reaping the benefit this year! The high price has tempted other' factories. to'manufacture casein, and it is probable that next spring will find nenrly every butter factory seriouslv considering, the matter, together with the question of establishing a co-operative drying plant for Taranaki. so that the farmer, can obtain the full value of the by-product.