CHEESE PAYMENTS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 410, 17 April 1937, Page 6

CHEESE PAYMENTS.

QUALITY OF MILK. Bearing On Differential Price. Press Association —Copyright. Wellington, April 16. Further comment on the differential price payable to’ cheese, compared with the price ter bu'ier. was made by Hon. AV. Lee Martin, acting Minister of Marketing, to-day. “The payments made by cheese manufacturing companies to their suppliers from the proceeds of the sale of their cheese at the present guaranteed price are governed largely by the cheese yields of the individual companies,” said the Minister. “I have noticed that the amount of cheese made to each pound of butterfat received varies, among ths cheese manuflactliring companies from 2.45 pounds to 2.75 pounds as a result of the varying butter-fat contents of the milk received by the cheese companies. “This wide range in cheese yields draw® attention to the general question of the suitability of the milk received by factories for cheese-making. I am aware that this is a highly controversial subject, but 1 mention it to indicate a likely cause of some cheese companies being unable to pay their suppliers the margin of l&d a pound butter-fat above the price for butter. “It should be observed that on the given price for cheese a company v'lth a cheese yield of 2.55 will pay its suppliers 2d a pound bu'ttervfat. more than in the case of a company with a cheese yield of 2.45. To quote an instance, a, certain company rec ceives chrjeise milk of a butter-fat test of approximately 3.7 per cent., which giveg the company a cheese yield and With equal costs and price of cheese, this l company should pay it s suppliers at least lid a pound hutter-fat more than would be the case with a cheese yield of 2.45.” The Minister added that the Government recognised .'that increases in workers’ wages affected cheese-mak-ing costs to a greater extent than butter-making costs. He urged the direictors of cheese-making companies not to change to the manufacture of butter and assured them that, care would be taken that their price margin per pound of butter-fat would be adequate.