Farming Column

Hokitika Guardian, 21 May 1932, Page 8

Farming Column

MARKETING OF FROZEN LAMB.

“QUANTATIVE REGULATIONS”

Proposals are now on root which, it carried through, may vitally affect the great industry on which to a ve.,» large extent for the past thirty years the prosperity of the Dominion has depended. The advent of refrigeration has done move than ally other single cause .promote prosperity in New Zealand. uSheepfarmers have steadily devoted their attention to developing in the main an export of frozen lamb, and steady concentration have brought tin quality of the Dominion’s product t< such a pitch of perfection that it challenges comparison even with the British home-produced lamb. Now that the fiscal system of the United Kingdom is in course of reconstruction, it behoves those in power in New Zealand to watch carefully tbai proposals are not agreed to which min tend to destroy or diminish the tremendous lead Which New Zealand ha.l- - in the production and .export of prime lamb, for on the continued expansion of this .industry to ; very large extent our prosperity must depend. Proposals have been put for ward that'this Dominion should agreto. indeed should advocate, the intro duetion, side by side with a tariff, o! a “quota” system. We are strongly <■' the- opinion that the proposal is the most dangerous one which has ye been suggested in connection with any revised proposals affecting the trad' between New Zealand and tile Old Country.

Tlie-e is no doubt the argument has been very well elaborated, and what 1 called “Quantitative Regulation of Tm ports” has been put forward in a verenticing manner. There is a vast gap indeed between any tariff proposals an/ any system of quantitative regulation of imports. A tariff may be- imposed either for the production of revenue or to protect an industry in any coun try. Quantitative regulation of importcuts right across the normal operatior of all principles of commerce and tb laws of supply and demand, and clear ly means nothing more or less tlion tin socialisation of industry and promicticr

It proposed to take out of the hand of business men the regulation of tin production and marketing o their prduce. and di-pond upon politicians and committees to arbitrarily regulate ovear large volume of commodities. Tin quota would be governed by committees and immediately would grow up hue Government Departments 'with all tin weaknesses of such bodies. It wool' simply be another instance of bushier being controlled by politicians or com mittees, with power to make decisions of far-reaching effect and affectinp - ' large sums of money invested in tin industry of this country. Moreover, i wou'd deliberately lend itself to man' puktion on a hugof scale. The proposal is so far-reaching that it is almost inconceivable how light heartedly it has been supported b T some politicians. No business stand* alone. Tf quantitative regulations 1 the amount which can he imported intthe United Kingdom can he made "'it' respect to meat, they can he equally applied to butter, cheese, wool, tallow pelts, or any other commodity whie 1 the Dominion exports, ft is the mos dangerous proposal wheh has ever ben suggested in connection with New Zea land trade. There is another phase of this question which we would like to point out This specious quantitative control, it is called, is being enthusiastica!'’ supported by the Socialistic and Com monistic groups in England. They re cognise it as a long step forward ir the direction of the socialisation of i l ' dustr.v. They have secured the hacking of tlie British fanner, or irathe’they have caught his imagination There is not the slightest doubt that if the proposal goes through with the support of this Dominion (by far 1 largest exporter of frozen lamb to the United Kingdom), we will have struck such a blow at the New Zealand meat industry as will almost tend to destroy it, unless we can open up markets in foreign countries. Instead of tending to promote good feeling within the Empire, it is likely to prove a fruitful cause of disruption.

All adjustment of tariffs, {riving pm ference to those portions of tlio Empire wliicli give preference to the Old Country, find a smaller measure o l ' pro feronce to foreign countries wliiei trade extensively with the United Kingdon, is the only sound and reasonable basis on which this Dominio’ can safely negotiate for changes in the present system.

The original proposals were:—A free list for Dominions and Crown Colonic. l giving preference to British goods; n small tariff for Dominions not givim preference; an intermediate tariff for 'Weigh countries giving preference t< B’itain; a full tariff against countries misgiving preference. rVV(> are strongly of the opinion thethey stand to-day as the only soilin' and safe 1 basis, so far as this Dominiois concerned. / Any proposal not ha set I on the laws of supply and demand which gives the right to a committee m Government Department to restrict, illoutput of New Zealand’s most import ant export, will mean definitely the death-blow to further expansion or development of that industry in this country. It will lead eventually to complete and utter dissension he'ween the •’arming industry o‘ Great ICilniu am 1 that of Now Zealand. The- weapon is too powerful and Co rhe brought into being with the advocacy and consent of those represent -ng (I >.■ Dominion of Now Zealand at the allimportant Ottawa Conference.

AUSTRALIAN BUTTER EXPORT TO DUTCH EAST INDIES.

Mr L. Maedougall, Batavia representative of P. E. Scrivener and Co., export managers and producers, supplies particulars to the press of a cam paign which is in progress in the Dutch East Indies against the use of Australian butter containing boric acid At a recent meeting of the Board 0 Foodstuffs it was decided to advise tlie Union of Importers, Batavia, that the use of boric acid in Australian butter imports should cease. Before “taking k action,” however, the board proposed to inquire in Australia whether a “less” dangerous acid could be be substituted for the preservative now used. The board added :

We will inform the military authorities that the Board of Foodstuffs lun given its best attention to this very serious matter, and that it is not desirable, in tlie . interests of the trade, to prohibit the use of Australian butter. We recommend that, pending inquiries, the use of Australian butter containing a maximum o 0.2 per cent two-tenths per -cent.) acid should be allowed, because such a slight percentige cannot possibly have any dangerous results. Moreover, this will savi the Government and the general public quite a lot. Extracts from the Batavian press’ ndic-ate that Australian butter is bong criticised partly because of its comletition with the higher-priced butters in ported from Holland-.

The Batavische Niowsblad of Marc) !4 states that a “severe” market fight s in progress and Irtis resuited in a local reduction of Australian butter prices by about 50 per cent.

The journal refers as follows to

circular which it says was recently is--.ued by the military authorities: —“In this circular the use of many Australian brands of creamery butter (mentioned by name) is prohibited, because they all contain a more or less big quantity of boric acid, although this acid is not needed at all to preserve butter. The question arises it r.aybe the Australian buttec manufacturers need boric acid to successfully preserve the product they offer for*.sale is creamery butter.”

CHEESE FROM WHEY. A recipe for making cheese from vhey appeared in a recent number of •he Spectator. The cheese is called Uesost in Sweden, and Mys Ost in Norway. Here is the Sweden recipe: Whey from ordinary cheese making, whether it is from whole milk or skimmed milk, is strained through a cloth •nd let into , a flat boiler which has - l.ouhlo bottom. 111 this double bottom •.team is introduced, and the water is teamed off from the whey slowly. As a rule it takes 31- to 4 hours L o steam off sufficiently to make the -esidue like! fairly thick porridge. Turing the whole time of evaporation he material is stirred with a wooden pade, so as to prevent any burning on Tie bottom. This stirring must he condnuous towards the end of tlie operion. When the evaporation is comlloted, the material is transferred into i stirrdr or kneading machine, where : t is vigorously, worked until quite homogeneous; the cooling down should be very slow, :so as to prevent the milk. ;n.rmr from crystalling. The cheese is then pressed intc 'hapes, like cubes, usually about Alb 0 weight. Depending upon desire, baste and quality, more or less, or no •ream can be added during operations . ikewise, if the whey is somewhat acid 1 certain amount of svrup can be addM.

ONLY ONE CUSTOMER

Argentina has practically only one customer, Great Britain, for all the best quality meat, but that country >t the present time at least cannot purchase all the export meat produced. Continental countries, ordinarily buyers of second grade meat, hav" practically closed their ports to the entry of Argentine’s meat, with the I'sult there is no adequate outlet for the season’s enormous production of beef and mutton.