DAIRY PRODUCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1924, Page 4

DAIRY PRODUCE.

VISIT OF AAIERICAN INVKSTIGATOKS. ST CDF. NTS OF CO-ORKR ATiON. “Anerican farmers, like all other farmers. are anxious to get more out of the dollar than they are getting, and they hope to get it by co-operative development,” said Mr 11. L. Russell, dean of tin* College ol Agriculture in the Fniversity of Wisconsin, in an interview at Auckland on Monday. Mr Russell and Professor Theodore Macklin. professors of agriculture and economics, have collie to New Zealand for the express purpose of studying co-operative enterprises in connection with agriculture. Wisconsin is the great dairying State of the Cnited States, ami therefore.our system ol cooperative industry among the dairying community is of special interest to visitors.

“f know of no other place in the world.” said Mr Hassell, “where cooperation has been so highly developed, and we desire to liud out if the system is applicable to our conditions.” He explained that the f'nileil Stales would never be a competitor of New Zealand in the butler and cl sc markets <d' the world. At the present lime his country exported one twelve-hundredth part of its dairy production, the whole effort of the industry being to supply its own population. Canada had taken the cheese market from the States just as New Zealand was now taking it from Canada.” TilE CD-OI’FHATIVF. SI’IHIT.

“ 11..' Iliii!" I !i:>t j.il.'i'."*'- "■ 1.” i .ml iinii d .Mt Russell. “i ■ lr".v farmers liiiv.' been willing and able I" liili.l I heinsclves logetbcr in 11 1< • i r >"• <i| ut:i I ive enterprises. We li.'ivi' obtaill(i,l ji, great deal cil' information mi the sullied during our four days in the l iioi'lii, :iinl liy the time we 11111 li:i cmi|il.-l<-i 1 our tniii' we shall lie liftt«*r alilo tu judge how the system would lie IIII|;lii:it.lf to the dairy farmers of AVisiMiisin. In tlint State we Imve nhoiit ;!(>;) more co-operative factories making ehee.se tlmn butler-a for greater inimlier being proprietary eolii •fli;v None of our co-operative factories are as la mens many of yours. Here the euoperative spirit has lieen more extensively cultivated, ami developed and from what we have so far seen your factories appear to he run oil a liiueli more satisfactory basis than our cooperative factories.’’ EXPORT CONTROL SYSTEM.

Questioned as to what he tliou.'ht ol the export control principle, -Mr Russell said that he thought it a wonderfully constructive step, particularly in New Zealand conditions; it would not. however, apply to American conditions, where there was practically no export. “Mere.” he said, “it seems the logical thill!' to do. I notice that hy exercising limited control, meat and dairy produce hoards have succeeded in lowering shipping freights and easing other charges.” Air liussell refused to he drawn as to what he thought ol all allsolute control being exercised hy the hoards, hut he agreed that probably it was a convincing power, for the hoards to “have up tliqir sleeve." In the hands of wise nil'll it could have its effect without being brought into play. “ft

strikes me as very constructive legislation.” lie added. “That is one thing about you people; you have the courage to go ahead and experiment; you do not tic yourselves to tradition, and I like the system of referring these control laws to people in the industry for their approval. It shows the Govcrnment does not want to force control on people unless they want it. The referendum is an excellent proposition in matters of this kind.” “[ noticed, added Mr Russell, “with a great deal of interest that provision has been made for control to be exercised in the local Iruit. market. In America we have no analogy of this, and 1 donht whether it would lie applicable. Our business interests -would not stand a Government legislating for local control in commerce.” INQUIRY INTO M ACT I IN K-AULKINU Returning to tbo practical side of our dairying industry. Air Russell said that New Zealand was infinitely ahead of America in the employment of milking machines. American farmers believed that machine-milking was injurious. and the delegation would therefore make inquiries as to why New Zealand farmers used machines so generally. Shortage of labour might have driven them to it. but America bad the same labour problems. In the testing of cows, continued Air Russell. New Zealand was more advanced than America, lie understood that 12 to I I per cent, of the cows of the Dominion were under tost. Til Wisconsin only three or four per cent, were tested, and for the whole country only one per cent, were tested. American farmers were probably ahead in the feeding of cattle. New Zealand dairymen relied mainly on pnsthrago, supplemented slightly by concentrates. American farmers almost invariably used 1 ! e.d ’•

grass and hay. The cattle had to be kept in barns from the middle of November until May, and always were fed on concentrates, such as linseed or cottage seed meal. The aim was to bring cows into profit in the autumn to get advantage of the high winter prices. C’OAIIWRTSON OF LAND VALUES Land values, said ATr Russell, were not so high, in the dairying districts of America as here, but New Zealand could produce butter more cheaply, seeing that no winter housing was necessary. He figured that an American farmer could not afford to give more than the equivalent of £SO an'acre For a fully developed farm, equipped with

winter stabling accommodation (which cost from C6OO to £800). To pay more would make it difficult to pay interest and maintain a reasonable standard of living. Interest on first mortgage in America was from 5 \ to G per cent, so there was little difference on that score. He wanted to find out whether the cheaper land offset New Zealand's climatic advantage and equalised the tost of production in the two countries. AH' Russell said the delegation had received the warmest possible welcome, and every facility for obtaining information from officials of the Agricultural Department and various dairy companies. Touching on the work of the Fields Division of the Department, lie said that in America the work of instructing farmers was carried out by the agricultural faculties of various universities, the State Agricultural Department doing only what he called police work.