The Dairy Industry.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 217, 18 January 1894, Page 2

The Dairy Industry.

COOL STORAGE CHAMBERS. NECESSITY FOR OFFICIAL BRANDING. Mr C. R. Valentine, chief dairy ; expert, and Mr John Sawers, Government dairy instrnctor, have deferred until Monday their departure on their trip of inspection to the principal dairy factories on the West Coast between Wellington and New Plymouth. This change of purpose has been produced partly by pressure of office work, and chiefly by the desire to have the opportunity of inspecting several hundred packages of butter which were to be shipped by the Rimutaka. Both officials were engaged on Monday in inspecting the consignments which have recently come to hand for that steamer. The object of this inspection is to discover if the samples are branded in accordance with the Dairy Industry Act of 1892. This Act makes provision for a'l butter being branded either as factory butter, dairy butter, or as branded butter, as the case may be. But no power is given the official experts to brand any packages that may be found to be of inferior quality. The necessity for having this power was brought out at Monday's inspection. Two packages were found which Mr Sawers says he woull have branded as inferior quality had he had authority to do so. It is proposed to obtain this power by fresh legislation next session. There is no wish on the part of the Department to undertake^the grading of butter prior to shipment, for the operation would take too long, and any delay in the handling of dairy produce tends of course to depreciate its quality. But as a systematic plan of inspecting all butter prior to its leaving the Colony, and of branding on both sides of the boxes and that which is found to be inferior, will tend to protect the honest producer, and will be to the manifest advantage of the Colony by maintaining the high standard of its goods in the Home market. Another improvement which Mr Sawers has consistently advocated for years past is shortly to be carried out. This is the erection of cool storage chambers at the principal ports of shipment in the Colony. " These storage chambers are an urgent necessity. During Mr Sawers' recent trip up the West Coast he visited the dairy factories at Halcombe, Ngaire, Stratford, and Cardiff. He found at all these places that the supply of milk was abundant, that everything appeared to be prospering, and that the farmers were in great heart. Both Mr Valentine and Mr Sawers expect now to see the Minister ot Agriculture before their departure on Monday. They anticipate being away about a fortnight, and iv. mediately on their return here they will go on to Canterbury and Otago. It may be mentioned as illustrating the rapid growth of the dairy industry that when Mr Sawers was appointed five years ago there were only about a dozen dairy factories in New Zealand, and that there are now 172. — New Zealand Times.