THE DAIRYING INDUSTRIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3116, 21 June 1917, Page 7

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRIES

BIG QUESTIONS ''ANNUAL MEETING OF N.D.A. WAR TIME PROBLEMS' '-• (Soeoial Re-norlcr.) Palmersfon Norlli, June 20. The annual meeting of the National Atoiry Association of Now Zealand, Lid., M-a.s Held at. the .Show, Grounds here today. . Tho chairman'of the directorate, Mr: A,- Morion • (Egmonl Village), presided. - ■ In (ho course of'his opening address the chairman said thai; in tho circum- ■ stances of tho List twelve months tho industry had reason to congratulate, itself oh its progress. Had it gone back (here, ■would hardly, have been cause for complaint. Tho -fuel was Ilia): they had maintained (he standard of quality and increased, their production. ' -Referring to tho.great growth of tho dairying industry, (he chairman said ;t.hat in 1598 Now Zealand exported .£231,-' 000 worth of ■ butter and .£130,000 of cheese, a total of .£(11,000. Progress had been so marvellous that, to-day many factories turned out mqro than (hat. In 1915 the export value of lniller was -£2,700,000, and of cheese. i 2,730,000. For (he year ended April 30, i!H7, we exported .£2,597,000 of butter and £3.i26,tm of cheese, a total of .£6,324,000. Add to that the i£700,000 Of butter in store and (ho -total exceeded ,£7,000,000. In. addition to the exported quantities thero was the local, consumption of about a. million and a half sterliug,. bringing the, total production of the dairy factories of .the ' JPominion up to J!8,5OO0,O00_ for tho .year. There had been increases in prices, but production also had. advanced.', Last; season was one of weather.'extromes.. In [Auckland they had continuous rains, and . production increased.- Taranaki, rapa. and Manawafcu suffered a.-drought, -and-did not produce as much as they otherwise would have done. The qual--st.y of.produce had been verysatisfae••torily maintained, and almost the whole of the produce had been landed' in tho Home market: in good condition. The •high prices, of course, might in some measure account for the absence of complaint. ■. Transport Difficulties. The question of transport was bighly Scute.- ■ Large quantities:-of butter were in: store.-and, unless remedy cameepeedily, nest season might open .with some of last, season's butter, slill. in store. However, representations would be made to the authorities to relieve tho position. The shipping shortage had resulted in Congestion in the various works. Some districts had done a. good deal towards [providing extra storage, but: even go the position was serious. So, unless ' the /produce was. shipped better in the future than in the past, additional efforts would - Ihave to be made to provide still-more dorage. Imperial Cheese Purchase. The question of the Imperial Government's purchase of cheese was one of tho most important to tho farmers. Everything was not settled yet, but ho •hoped a settletoen would be reached Boon. The Minister had said tho. butter Hevy would cease at the end of Jump, and that it.would then bo'for Parliament to deviso some other- means of dealing with the question of the price of butter. Factories were, being circularised with a Xiew to petitioning Parliament to redress what was considered an injustice. As to next season's produce, no doubt the Government would bay the cheese, and an effort would be made to seecure n, far better deal for the farmers than was secured last year. (Appluse.) They would want to know why Canada got [better icrms : than New Zealand. It Vonld bo serious - if our produce was not bought by the Government and was held .lip here..,.lt was absolutely necessary for j,he farmer to get a monthly cheque, and

'the Government must tree that it iright bo necessary to give financial help-. . Labour Problem. The Labour problem had been serious in recent years, and would bo moro serious than ever when the Second Division was called up: Three-fourths of Hie factory managers of tho country wire Second Division men. and if the cuiinlry was to bo fed tho position of those men would havo lo be seriously considered. Many factories wero tinning from bintler lo cheese, and that would increase Mm difficulty of getting skilled labour for Ihe manufacture of cheese. Timber for butter boxes was waive. Representations made in the past had. failed lo secure a. remedy, but the matter was fio serious (hat further efforts would have to bo mado. The balance-sheet of the association revealed a satisfactory position: it was (ho.best: statement yet brought down. The chairman' then moved the adoption of Iho annual report and the bal-ance-sheet (already published). Sir. O'Hara (Norsowood) seconded. The Dotaincd Produce. Mr. .1. Marx (Mangaloki) saidthosbip. ping problem was so serious and so acute lhat something must: bo done at. onco 1o provide increased storage. It would bo wiser lo expend n fow hundred thousand pounds sterling than to imperil several millions. Mr. Nathan (.1. Nathan and Co.) said the limo was one for action, not for representations lo authorities. If patent rights 6tood in the way of tho uso of necessary machinery, l-ho Government should arrange tho matter. If necessary, slaughtering should cease so that meal; works could be utilised for Iho storage of butter. . ~ Various speakers protested against Iho Board of Trade fixing tho price of Now Zealand dairy produce in England, and. one remarked (hat it was tho w of England that commandeered goods must bo paid for at current rates. The chairman said a case was pending in the English La.w Courts.. ' Tho motion to r.dopt the report/ land 'the balance-sheet was carried.The following retiring directors were re-elected -.-Messrs. A. Morton.. (Efiraont Village), TT. Forsyth (Lltham). TV. D. Fowdrell (Ka.upokonuri), T. Bassolt (Northern TVairoa.) and E.. Allen (CamMr. C. D. Morpeth (Wellington) was re-elected auditor, and it was decided lo increaso his fee by five guineas. U was decided to increase the directorate from seven to nine. The representations will be db follow:—Taranaki, 3; Auckland. 3; Wellington; Hawko's Bay, and Wanganui, and the South Island, 8. The question of altering tho standard sise of. cheese crates so as to contain one cheeso only was discussed, and a resolution favouring the idea waa agreed Tho conference discussed tho subject of tho rapid vanishing of the supplies of white pine, tho timber from which butter boes are mado. Speakers said that only one-fourth of the timber was used m Now Zealand and the other three-fourths went, to Australia. Our white pine- forests would probably be completely cut out in six years from now, It wag resolved to endeavour to induce the Government to ha.ve tho white pine forests conserved. Tho conference has adjourned till tomorrow niorniwr.