CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2831, 8 January 1925, Page 3

CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING.

AMERICAN OBSERVERS ASTONISHED. ' Dean Russell and Professor Macddin, of the University of Wisconsin, left Wellington on Tuesday for San Francisco. They are particularly interested in dairying and come from one of the most important States in the Union, so far as that industry is concerned. With respect to their special interest in dairying, Dean Russell concentrated upon the dairy stock, the feeding, milk and butter fat production, and the manufacture of butter and cheese. ’Professor Macklin paid particular attention to the administrative side of the industry, especially co-opera-tion. He thought this last was really wonderful. It- was co-operation in perfection. New Zealand had a lot to show and a lot to-Meaeli the dairy farmers of the United States, in co-operation. He understood that 95 per cent, of the farmers of New Zealand were in the co-operative movement. Very wisely they had confined co-operation to one thing. They had specialised in that, and made an unqualified success of it. They had shown that there was enough volume in' their industry to justify co-operating, and they had brougt to bear upon it the highest intelligence in manufacture. The cooperative movement in the New Zealand dairy industry had resulted in a standardised product, and that overwhelmingly first grade in quality.

That was all right up to the ship’s side, but it was.incomplete until the co-operative principle as applied to milk production and the manufacture of butter and cheese was extended to its marketing. It was perfect- up to the ship’s side, but it must be carried right through to the consumer. In fact in marketing its dairy products New Zealand was not so far ahead, although travelling in that direction, as the United States. Professor Macklin paid a great compliment to Mr William Goodfellow, of the Great New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Company, for his advanced methods in marketing the produce and extending the co-oper-ative principle to cover the produce at destinatjpn. New Zealand in its Dairy Control Legislation, was (Certainly making towards completion of the co-operative process to its logical end to give good service and to receive a fair return for service If, now had to complete its merchandising and in that, he thought, it could learn much from the United States. The more the farmer obtained for his products, the better was it for the community in general. New Zealand producers should shake hands with distributors, and give them service and satisfaction and in that they would reap then* full just reward.