DAIRYMEN DISCUSS THEIR WORK

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 57, 30 May 1927, Page 9

DAIRYMEN DISCUSS THEIR WORK

ANNUAL CONFERENCE PRESENTATION OF TROPHIES TWENTY-ONE dairy factories in North Auckland were represented at the fourteenth annual conference of the Dairy Association, held to-day. Mr. F. McDonald was elected to the chair. The factories represented were as follow: Auckland Milk Coy.. Bay of Islands, Hakaru, Herekino, Hikurangi, Hokianga. Kaipara. Kaitaia. Matakana. Maungatapere, Mercury Bay, Northern Wairoa. Oruru - Fairburn. Port Albert. Waitemata, Waipu. Whangarei, Whangaroa, Ruawai. and Rodney. The chairman said that as Mr. Grounds would speak later on the Question of dairy control, the present speaker would not give the usual review'. Factory managers were asked to express their opinions on the creamgrading system. Mr. J. Wood (Hikurangi) said that his butter has shown a slight improvement on the previous year. The grading regulations were a step in the right direction. Several representatives supported the speaker. “For four or five years we have been in favour of grading,” said Air. G. F. Monk (Bay of Islands), "and there is no need to discuss it.”

TROPHIES PRESENTED Air. S. Stanley, secretary of the A. and P. Association, presented two trophies won during the season, the Weddell Cup for butter, and the Harley Shield for cheese. The first trophy went to Air. C. Foster, manager of the New Zealand Co-operative Hairy Company’s factory at Ngatea, who had scored 94.140 points, and the shield to the Waimana Hairy Company (Mr. J. Earl), which had gained 93.333 points. "I’ve been after this for 14 years,” said Mr. Foster when he received the cup. Mr. A. A. Thornton. Government produce grader, said that it was 21 years since Weddell and Coy. had presented the cup. Managers had competed strenuously for the trophy of recent years. It was sometimes said that a big factory had no chance of winning the cup, but this statement had been disproved by Air. Foster’s win, because his was an I,SOO-ton factory. The grading of cream had helped considerably to improve the quality of the butter in the competition. ACIDITY OF CREAM There was a discussion on the relation of acidity in cream to grading. One manager said that he had to use 2cwt of bicarbonate of soda to neutralise acidity. Mr. A. C. Hingston (Bay of Islands) : Too much carbonate of soda is used, and there have been complaints from England about it. That in itself is sufficient argument why the standard cf cream should not be lowered. Mr. G. Valentine, of the Government Hairy Division, in an address on cream grading, said that the acidity of cream did not alter the standard. It was recognised, however, that the acidity caused by the flush of spring feed was of an acetic nature, and more detrimental than the ordinary clean acidity. Mr. W. Dempster advocated the extension of instructive system among farmers. The chairman remarked that he was glad the department had reassured them that acidity would not prevent a cream from being graded superfine. The following officers were elected: Executive, Messrs. T. Bassett. F. McDonald, W. Grounds: auditor, Mr. J. B. Gilmore; secretary, Mr. J. Lochhead. REMITS CONSIDERED

On the motion of Mr. J. Hanson (Kaipara H.C.) a resolution was passed asking Parliament not to proceed with the Summer-Time Bill as it would be detrimental to the dairying industry. #. Mr. J. H. Stubbs (Maungatapere) moved “that the Dairy Produce Control Board be requested to reconsider the periods of the butter pools. That in the opinion of this conference four 3-monthly periods would be a far more equitable distribution of proceeds than that in force at the present time.” Mr. Grounds said that the board would have to be sure of the importance of the measure before the alterations would be made. The resolution was passed. PACKING HOUSE IN ENGLAND “That it be a recommendation to the Dairy Control Board to consider the advisability of establishing a packinghouse in England to enable our butter to be packed in cartons suitable for the trade to handle as distinctively New Zealand produce,” was the recommendation of the Northern Wairoa Hairy Company. Mr. E. Harding moved the remit. Mr. Grounds said that if it had not been that 90 per cent, of his time and energy had been used up on other questiohs the board would have organised the effective distribution of the butter in special packings. The important thing was to get the highest quality of butter each time. Samples of cheese might be sent to friends in England in the same way that cartons of butter were. The resolution was carried. The recommendation of the Northern Wairoa Company that this conference recommends the Government to suspend compulsory cream grading during the months of May, June, July and August, was defeated. (Proceeding.)