DAIRY RESEARCH

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1927, Page 4

DAIRY RESEARCH

— NATIONAL LABORATORY

AVELLIXGTOX. April 30

Hie Dairy Export Control Board’s decision to provide half the necessary finance will enable a prompt start to he made with a National Daily Research laboratory, ultimately to lie

part of the establishment which will develop into the New Zealand College of Agriculture near Palmerston North. The site cf the proposed college cannot he taken over until .Tune 1, but the plans for dairy research are so far advanced that immediately a portion of the research staff can lie appointed the work will commence at tlie existing la 1 'oratories in Unworn and Hamilton.

Tile co-operation of tlie principal in-

terests under (lie co-ordinating influoneo of the New Zealand Research Council has enabled an attractive and well-financed scheme to he evolved, 't hese interested direct lv in tlie work r-> 'h" Dairy Error' Control Board, the Department of Agriculture, (which 'as iiT-hertn done what research work tins been possible without special organisation), tlie Agricultural College Council, and tlie Scientific Research Council. To enable all these interests to co-operate effectively, farm, factory, regulatory, research and educational activities are represented on the special committee constituted to control tlie National Dairy Research laboratory.

The plan of organisation adopted at a joint conference of all tlie interests concerned provides for the Department of Agriculture having a laboratory in eloie association with the research laboratory, which" will he erected as soon ns possible on the Agricultural College site. There will also he a dairy factory at tlie College, staffed hv fulltime research workers, under the management committee controlling research work. Students at the College with a particular aptitude for dairy work may he drafted as research students in tlie laboratory, thus maintaining a close association with tlie Agricultural College.

ft is intended to conduct the dairy factory on such lines that it will serve all the purposes of the factory originally proposed bv the Dairy Division to he placed at Wnllaceville. There will he the closest co-operation between the research workers and the officers of the' Dairy Division, who have to conduct a good deal of routine laboratory work not involving research, but their probi lems would naturally come to the new I laboratory for attention. Already over thirty important points for research directly affecting the dairy industry, have been scheduled for consideration. The suggested staff for the first year of operation is a director, who would Up either the Professor of Dairying, or I chief of one of the sections of the re-I search laboratory; a bacteriologist j and assistant bacteriologist; chemist j and assistant; and factory staff spec-1 ialists. Salaries, apparatus and working expenses are expected to require! nearly £6OOO during a normal working I year, and this sum is assured. The capital expenditure on buildings and equipment is placed at £2500.