DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Shannon News, 27 October 1922, Page 3

DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

ITS IMPORTANCE TO DOMINION.

i In tlie course of liis address at tlie opening of tlie Paraparaumu Dairy Company’s new factory on Monday, the Hon. 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 a 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 quantities of butter ami cheese forwarded to the grading stores for the year ended July 31, 1922, were 50,547 tons of butter and G'3,759 tons of cheese which, he said, constituted a record for production in Hie history of the industry, and showed an increase ox er the previous season’s figures in butter-fat equal to 32.57 per cent. The present season promised to be ex r cn more productive, but just at present it was very difficult to estimate the quantities of butter and cheese that would be produced oxving to the fact that a large percentage of the dairy companies had not yet decided which of tlie txvo classes of produce they would manufacture. With a normal rainfall, however, a considerable increase in butter-fat. could be looked for. The first two months of the present season had shown an increase of 65 per cent, on the corresponding months of last year, which xvas an evidence that xvc xverc in for ano

thcr good season

Argentine Competition

The Dominion’s exports of butter and cheese had advanced steadily until at the present time this country xvas a

greater exporter of dairy produce than any other country in the world. The Argentine gave the Dominion producers a periodical scare and doubtless had forged ahead the production of buttwfat, as statistics xvould show, in 1913 her exports had totalled 4400 tons, and in 1921 Great Britain had imported 20,000 tons from that country. The year ended .June 50 last had shown, however, a decline to Hi,ooo. tons. Turning to the quality of our butter and cheese, the Minister said it continued to give every satisfaction, and every effort xvould be made to keep it at a high standard. Instructor Appointed. A butter instructor had been appointed recently for the Wellington district, and the Dairy Division xvould

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 bo kept there. It was thought by some that Siberia would not become a serious competition for some years, but New 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 contin-

ent. to supply more of its own requirements if continental countries did not increase their exports to Britain. During 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, had 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 whicli the owners were suppliers. This year a further development of testing was assured. The Dairy Division would be testing cows from 63 Associations, while upwards if 30 Associations would be conducted by the dairy companies. It was hoped in the future that testing would become part of the work of dairy companies' activities.