OUR INDUSTRIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 119, 13 February 1919, Page 6

OUR INDUSTRIES

BRANCHES OF DAIRYING

THE NEED FOR TESTING HERDS

WAIRARAPA POWER

SCHEME

The Industries Committee of Parliament, appointed to inquire into matters tending to benefit and encourage the industries of the Dominion, continued its Wellington sessions yesterday. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (chairman) presided.

D. Cuddy, Director of the Dairy Division, Department of Agriculture, was called to give evidence as to the possibilities of further development of the dairying industry in New Zealand. The first matter he touched on was the prospect of increasing the yield of butter-fat per cow throughout the country. The witness suggested that the best means available for improving the production would be the- universal adoption by the farmers of the testing system. Of course it would be essential to follow up the testing of herds by improving the breeding. The difficulty 'at present was to persuade the farmers generally of the need for testing. Tho amount of testing done at present was limited. A great.deal of land now used for other purposes was eminently suitable, for dairying, and it was desirable that such land should bo available for closer settlement. The average yield of butter-fat per cow throughout the Dominion, estimated about a year ago, was 1611b. That estimate covered all cows, in milk and dry. That was understood to be a higher late of production than that obtaining in Australia, but. it was far too low. It must be remembered that whole-herds in New Zealand, were nro- ' during from 25f11b. to 4001b. per cow. Figures taken out for the season lfilO-1911 indicated that tl\e butter-fat production per cow at that time was only 1421b. That was when the Department started its cow-testing movement, and at the end of the 1016-17 season the yield had risen to the 1611b. per cow before quoted. The Department thus claimed to have increased the average yield by 13 ner cent. It cost about £W 12s. 6d. to keep for one year the cow yielding the average Ifillb! of butter-fat. The cost worked out about Is. 7Jd! per lb. of butter-fat. Roughly speaking, so far as the farmer was concerned, lib. of butter-fat meant lib. of butter, though .factories did pay! for lib. of butter-fat a' little more than the actual price received ( for butter, where the working expenses were low. If 1801b. of butter-fat were taken as the average yield, the cost of production of lib. of butter-fat would be cut down to Is. r,'d. ' The chairman: Have your officers to go round and lecture the farmers on the' need for testing?—"We have preached ibis gospel for ten years on end. We have never ceased. At the present time our testing officers. are carrying on as much of that work as time will permit." Asked how, in his opinion, the matter of testing might be brought more prominently before the farmers, the witness said: ''There is nothing better than to keep hammering away just in the samo spot. That may create an impression by-and-by."

Casein, Sugar of Milk, Dried Milk, and Rennet. ..Questioned as to the prospects of casein manufacture in New Zealand, M.r. Cuddy said that 'they were fairly bright. Prior to the war the only market was a German or.e, but since the war there had been a market in England, and there was every likelihood that the English market would continue. A considerable quantity of casein was being manufactured, and it was expected that the matter would be token up by more factories Jiefore long. ■ a As regarded the production of sugar of milk, jtlie witness said that prior to the war the product was selling at ,£SO to .£6O a ton, and during the war at .£2OO or .£3OO a. ton.

The chairman: Do you think the price will come back to JHO?—"It is hard to say. It depends on the production."

Would it pay at Jt'so? —' I believe, at £a<s."

■"It would pay,

The' witness further stated that the cost of a factory to engage in the manufacture would be about .£1.5,000.

With regard to dried milk, Mr. Cuddy said that, the price given for milk supplied to dried-milk manufacturers was 3d. more than that given by butter factories, and 2d. more than that given by cheese factories. It. had to be remembered, of course, that the farmers got nothing back—that there were no byproducts such as skimmed milk or whey. The price referred to was the guaranteed price.

So far as rennet was concerned,. Mr. Cuddy said that New Zealand had had a large supply of the raw materials for its manufacture, but the fanners seemed to be very careless about the wholo thing. They would' not take the trouble to save the veils. New Zealand required annually about 30,0,10 gallons of rennet. . The pre-war price was ,C 2 10s. for a ten-gallon keg. During the war tho price of a keg went up to £2b. The supply in New Zealand during the war had been just barely equal to the demand. As so many cattle had been destroyed in the war was unlikely that the price would go back to-Its old level. The witness thought an endeavour should he made to establish the industry in New Zealand.

In reply to a question, Mr. Cuddy said that the majority of the farmers engaged in the production of butter-fat were doing very well.

Mr. Luke: Is the, sugar of milk industry likely to enter into serious competition'with the cities in tho matter of tak ing away the ordinary milk-consumers' supplies?—"No, I don't think so."

I'm very pleased to hear you say so. You do not think there will be any detriment to the city supplies cither in the matter of volume or of price —"I don't see how there can be."

Mr. Cuddy added that dried milk factories could operate only where there was a very large dairying area. Mr. Sidey questioned the witness about the operations of Nestle's Company in Hip manufacture, of condensed milk." Mr. Cuddy said that he. understood that the company in question intended to establish a condensed-milk factory in New Zealand. He did not know whether tho - company was using British capital, but he thought it was doubtful. Mr. Sidey: May it by its operations sweep out the local industry in New Zealand?—"lt has already done that in Australia, by underselling the local manufacturer at the beginning, and then putting up the price subsequently." Dn you think tho Government should do something to prevent a similar thing" happening in New Zealand?—"l do. Of course, if it is a British company, that is, if the balance of the shares are held in New Zealand, no exception could be taken to it then, but a foreign conimmy should not be allowed to come and exploit existing concerns, and make them close their doors." In course of replying to various questions, Mr. Cuddy said that electrical power could very well be used for milking machines. A great number of milkingmachines were already being successfully run by electricity. 1

Hydro-Electric Scheme. .T.C.Cooper.- managing director of the Wningaw'.i Meat Works, representative of the Masterfon Chamber of Commerce, waited upon'the committee to make a statement regarding hydro-electric, power for the AVairarapa. He said that lie realised that the big scheme* proposed by the Government would . b'e chcanor than any local scheme could lv>, if Hie Government wouid only >$\v. HVerl fo it. But the Government scheme might not be e'arricd nut for te!i or twenty years, and the Wairarapa people had' a' local scheme which would givn power nl a head-works rust of sinicwhcre about .EStl per horse-flower. The ,* s {j. main was that of Hie witness himself, who arrived 0.1. it by pulling :is per cent! on Hie engineer',-, estimate. The engineer estimated lhal the head works would cost ft total of <C7(l.(l(i(l, but tli" witness was allowing .£1(!0,0l)(i. ,'l'lie Wairarana people wa.ntcd the Government to help tlicm particularly in regard to the amount of money required. /, Mr, rolflnd; You want tts to make a

recommendation to the Government that if they are not going to carry out their own scheme at once, they should help Vou and others similarly situated. The total cost of the scheme, continued the witness, to give power to all users, farmers and others in the Wnirarapa, would be jE2OO.OfIO. When he had spoken of u cost of «E3O per horse power ho had, of course, meant a headworks cost. .£200.000 was not a small item to the Wnirarapa, and residents were looking to (he. central Government to provide the money. To raise it in the Wairarapa would be o serious matter. Once the money difficulty were removed, they could, get things going in eighteen months. If the Government took twenty years to carry out its scheme the Wairarapa installation, would by the end of that time have paid for itself.

The chairman said, in summing up the evidence, that he understood tho witness to have asked that the -Government should find the money, and (o have said in reply lo a suggestion that a guarantee might be given that it would serve to facilitate matters.

Nitrogen from the Air. J. Orehiston, electrical engineer, brought before the notice of the committee a scheme for obtaining nitrogen from the air for the manufacture of nitrates. Ho sketched the development of the industry in other countries, and then spoke of steps which he had taken to introduce it into New Zealand. It was an industry that would not nay unless the power was practically "dirt, cheap" —under £1 per horse-power per annum, including all charges. • Explorations at Milford Sound showed that by far the best power was available there. Chile was the most redoubtable competitor in the nitrate industry, as it -possessed a very wide extent of nitric beds. , But the labour troubles in Chile were becoming very serious, and though at one time the Chilians could land nitrate of swin c.i.f. in New Zealand for I'll 10s. to ,£l2 a ton, there was, very little prospect of them ever doing so again. The American demand had increased from 600.000 tons to 1.749,000 tons in four years, and the Chilian fields were gradual lv beini denuded.

- The chairman: Ton have endeavoured to show us that the industry is ti. practical business nroposition. Now, what is the. special difficulty that prevent* you from going straight ahead with it?

The witness explained that the Government had declined to allow his comnany th",use of the water power required. In renly to Mr. Cider, 'witness said lie certainly did not think that any buildiiigs it was pronosed . to erect" in the Sound would detract from the scenic vnfuo of the place.

The scheme, Mr. Orchisfen stated, in reply to <a question from another member, would require a capital of ..12-10.0T). Mr. Hornsbv: Do you knmr thH: Mr! Parry (Chief Electrical Engineer to the Govevpnifnt) proposes to 'have work* at Milf-«t Sound for dealing with lowgrade ores from Australia?-"\Vell, thci-e are plenty of other powers there .available for that' purpose."

You would diot ask for a longer lens* than 48 years?—" That is the usual thing. V/p should anticipate somethin* of the. sort." °

This concluded the "Wellington se«ions "f the eommittee-for the time b-uV The committee, will visit Clirisfchurch'! Dunrdnv Tnvercargill. Qamaru.'TimaTU the West Ovist, and Nelson before returning to Wellington lo hold further session*. The North Island centres wilt? be visited also.