STANDARDISED CHEESE

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 16

STANDARDISED CHEESE

DISCUSSED BY DAIRY

CONFERENCE

ABOLITION RECOMMENDED. NEW PLYMYOUTH, June 25. Decisions of importance to the dairy' industry were reached at to-day’s sessionof the National Dairy Conference, at which over 600 attended. The most significant recommendation was one to revert from standardised to full cream cheese, which, in effect, calls on the Government to prohibit the export of cheese made from milk from which any portion of butter-fat has been extracted. A recommendation to reduce the number of grades from three to two was defeated, as was a remit that the waxing of cheese be abolished. A recommendation to abolish the national brand and returnto individual brands was lost. A committee was set up to investigate the question of unified control. The' North Island representatives on the committee are Messrs Stubbs (NorthernWairoa), Anderson (Cambridge), Free: (Mangatoki), Marchant (Cardiff),. Roberts (Parkvale), and Begley (Heretaunga); and the South Island—Messrs Fisher. Bagrie, and Smith. Discussing standardisation. Mr Dixon ) (Pakowai) said the reference made to standardised cheese in the House of Commons was the worst advertisement the industry had ever received. Mr W. A. lorns, chairman of the Dominion Produce Board, said he had been fairly well abused for having told the industrj' the truth about its position in the United Kingdom. If the conference decided to vote out standardisation as ft result of his statements he would be the happiest man there. He considered it necessary to speak strongly when he returned. as it was necessary that action should be taken. If the quality was good it would bring the best price. The Dairy Board had received letters from all parts of Great Britain urging New Zealand not to send skimmed cheese. It was his duty to tell the truth fearlessly. He had indulged in no recriminations, in spite of the mud thrown at him. but he was prepared to debate the matter publicly with anyone, and could promise to give concrete, cold facts. Mr W. Dynes Fulton said that reports had been received from English traders that they could sell standardised as easily as full cream cheese. If members of the London Importers’ Association wanted only full-cream cheese, why did they buy standardised? He considered that Mr lorns and other members of the Dairy Board had done more harm than anyone to the cheese industry. His company’s information was that the consumers did not know whether it was standardised or full cream they were purchasing. and the propaganda against the former came from the blenders, who did not get the same amount of fat in the standardised as in the full cream. The producer had benefited by moisture content. He had fought for standardisation and still believed in it. Last season his company had paid £20,000 more for fat taken from milk for cheese making. The propaganda against standardised cheese was not justified. If the best quality always brought the highest price why did not the importers pay a higher price for higher quality South Island cheese?— (Voices: They do.) The abolition of standardisation would affect the butter factories also. JTe considered the Dairy Division should make a further experiment. He was willing to place a factory at their disposal and he appealed to the conference as producers to take this course. The department’s cheese could then be sent to England unmarked and they would see how it panned out. Mr Burton (Kaipororo) said if the remit were carried it would mean the closing of many factories where they were receiving high testing milk. No one could say standardisation had caused a slump in prices, but it had been the scapegoat. The recommendation that standardisation be abolished was carried by a large majority, although a large amount of production was represented by the op- | position votes.