NEW ZEALAND DAIRY CO.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4573, 11 June 1923, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND DAIRY CO.

WORLD’S RECORD. A world’s record for the largest production of butter by any company is claimed by the New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Co., Ltd,,, in respect of its output for its financial year, ending May 31, 1923. For the 12 months then ending a total of 22,072 tons of butter was made, being an increase of 3854 tons or, 21 per cent, over the previous year’s record of 18,218 tons. " This is unquestionably the first time in history that anything over 20,000 tons of butter has actually been manufactured by any company," said Mr Goodfellow, managing director of the company in the course of an interivew, “ and I think the record is a distinct credit to the producers of this country and -to the country itself. Our American friends are very fond of applying the claim * the biggest in the world,’ and to swell their figures prefer to give them in lbs rather than in tons. Working on their principles, we can record that in butter alone the N.Z. Co operative Dairy Co., Ltd.,, manufactured in the past year 49,440,775 lbs. Our increase for the last year was 3854 tons, as equivalent to the output of two big standardised factories, or seven factories as big as the largest butter factory in Canada. “ While the directors and suppliers of the company are naturally proud of their wprld’s record in volume of output i think a great” deal more merit attaches to the improvement that has been effected in the quality of the company’s output throughout the four years that have passed since the amalgamation. • One of the big planks in the agitation for amalgamation was the belief that by coni centration of effort and the adoption of a grading system-;the- quality of the output could be improved. This claim has been justified by facts. The actual record year by year—the comparison in each case being for the export season August, 1 to April 30 —i S as follows, and shows a noteworthy improvement:—

1919-20.—60 1 per cent, super; 32 per cent, first grade; 8 per cent second grade.

1920- 72.25 per cent super; 20 first grade ; 7.75 second grade. 1921- 74 super; 18-5 first; 7.5 second.

1922-23.—87.76 super; 9.41 first; 2.83 second.

"The steady climb upwards of the proportion of superfine and the reduction of first and second grade—the latter to the record low level of 2.83 per cent.—is most gratifying, and justifies praise being given to the suppliers themselves for the supply of a good article, to the instructirs generally for their, patient work in the field, and to the factory staffs as a whole for their keen and consistent work.

■ “It is also very gratifying to record that the gr ( ade points have steadily risen in each of the past four seasons. There was a time when Auckland butter had a bad reputation, in fact, before the amalgamation the average grade returned for the South Auckland district was only 89 points. This low grade was due not to any difficulty of the home separator system, but to a low quality supply permitted by the keenness of company warfare* then ruling. The following table showing a steady rise in points each year conclusively proves that the very best of butter can be made under the home separation system, and that in point of volume and quality no district in New Zealand can now make a better showing than the South Auckland province Grade Pts. 191819 (under competition) 89. 1919- (under co-operation) 90.5 1920- (under co-operation) 91.4 1921- (under co-operation) 91.54 1922- (under co-operation) 92.61 •* When it is considered that the extremely high average of 92.61 points has been secured for an optput of 22,072 tons made in 13 different factories, the real merit of the per-, formance stands out and justifies the claim of a world’s record ip quality as well as quantity: Incidentally the high quality of output, bore fruit in the show ring at the Waikato Winter Show, when four first prizes were secured in the .butter section —one award carrying with it the title of ‘ the championship of New Zealand for export butter.’ One factory put up the remarkable record of sending forward to the export store a total of 64,956 boxes of butter, and received superfine for the whole lot except 264 boxes .of first grade, a percentage of 1.04. Six factories together sent forward only' 2505 boxes of second grade butter out of a total make of 243,000 boxes, which is just 1 per cent, of the total.

“The combined increase in quantity and quality means that in the past year nearly 5 times as much superfine butter has been made as in the season four ycar,s ago, while the actual quantities of first and second grade respectively are almpst identical, although the percentage in repatinon to the total output has materially dropped in each caseWhile it is very consoling, and a matter for justifiable pride to know that our output sets a world’s record, and that the quality of the goods made is above reproach, the most important point from the supplier’s point of view is the price received. In spite of the present depressing state of the market, the year’s realisations will definitely be better than last season owing to the favourable prices received in the earlier part of the year. One vital matter, however, that now stands out from the producer’s point of view is the need for prompt atention to the improved marketing of New Zealand produce. The tremendous expansion of the past four years places New Zealand in the position of being the dominate ing figure on the British dairy produce market. She now supplies one quarter of Britain’s imported butter, and one-half pf her cheese. These figures mean that in the height of our productive season we are in a position to flood the British market with more than it can immediately absorb.- This position forces consid-

eration of the development of other markets, t,o relieve pressure in the peak months, or alternatively of .some collective arrangement for the spread delivery of this country’s produce. Co-operative has shown its capacity to efficiently cope with the manufacture of dairy produce. It has shown that it' can consistently improve the quality of that produce. It remains to be seen whether the industry is capable of taking those furthei steps which are necessary to ensure by careful marketing payable prices to the producers. The principle that has been developed so well in cooperative marketing ventures of the California fr,uit industry, by which the one product is handled by a united body on behalf of all producers of that product is commonsense, and seems applicable to New Zealand conditions. When New Zealnad’s butter production was only a bagatelle of Britain’s imports nothing could be done,, but, the volume of New Zealand’s present output confers a very definite power upon the producer, and the producers will have only themselves to blame if that power is not used.’’