NEW ZEALAND LEADS

Otaki Mail, 20 October 1922, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND LEADS

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY. In the course of his address at the opening of the Paraparaumu Dairy Company's new factory on Monday, the Hmi. Mr Nosworthy, Minister of Agriculture, confined his remarks largely to the dairying industry, and showed what an important factor it was in the welfare of the country to-day. Speaking as ti farmer, he said he fully realised the lot and the hardships of those on the land, and he fully sympathised with them. The Minister then proceeded to deal more intimately with the industry.

A Record Year. The quantifies of butter and cheese forwarded to the grading stores for the year ended July 31, L 922, were 50,547 ton;- of butter and 63,780 tons of cheese which, he said, constituted a record for production in the history of the industry, and showed tin increase over tinprevious season's figures in butter-fat equal to 32.57 per cent. The present season promised to be even mare productive, but just at present it was very difficult to estimate the quantities of butter and cheese that would be pro duced owing to the fact that a large percentage of the dairy companies had not yet decided which of the two classes of produce they would manufacture. With a normal rainfall. however. a considerable increase in butter-fat could be looked for. The iirst two months of Ihe present season had shown an increase of K 5 per cent, on the corresponding months of last year, which was an evidence teat we were in for another good season. Argentine Competition.

The Dominion's exports of butter and cheese had advanced steadily until at the present time this country was a greater exporter of dairy produce than any other country in the world. The Argentine gave the Dominion producers ;i periodical scare and doubtless had forged ahead the production of butterfat, as statistics would allow. In Vj~[". her exports had totalled 4400 tons, and in 1921 Great Britain had imported 20,000 tons from that country. The year ended June 3<> last had .shown, however, a decline, to 10,000 tons. Turning to the quality of our butter and cheese, the Minister said it continued to give every satisfaction, and every effort would be made to keep it at a highj standard. / Instructor Appointed. « A butter instructor had been ap- \ pointed recently for the Wellington district, and the Dairy Division would be in a position to give more assistance to butter factory managers this season. Our butter was superior in quality to the Australian article, and it must be kept there. It was thought by some that Siberia would notebecouie a seri- J

ous competition for some years, but ZSTew Zealand would be well advised not ! to underrate possible competition from that country. He added that Finland was re-commencing to send butter to the English market, and in the near future would doubtless enable the continent to supply more of its own require- I meats if continental countries did not j increase their exports to Britain. Dur-j iug the 1921-22 season serious complaint , had been made in London regarding the condition of some of our cheese on arrival there. Mr Wright, who had been inspector of dairy produce in London before the war, hati resumed the position, and would be on the spot to enquire into anything of a like nature, and to assist in any way. Testing of Herds. The Minister, in referring to herd testing, said the Association method of testing was growing. Last season officers of the Dairy Division tested 25,912 cows in some 50 Associations, and besides that 19,652 were tested by dairy companies to which the owners were suppliers. This year a further development of testing was assured. The Dairy Division would be testing cows from '33 Associations, while upwards ti 30 Associations would be conducted by the dairy companies. It was hoped in the future that testing would become part of the work of dairr companies' activities.