WATERING MILK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 270, 5 April 1911, Page 7

WATERING MILK.

1 To tlu; Editor. ' Sir,—Til your issue of the Ist, inst. you 1 publisli a letter over tlie signature of "Drought" re watering milk for the fac- ! Tory, nrul if you will allow me space, I " will briefly set out wliat I consider would 1 be remedies both as regards the di.s----j honest supplier and minimise the complaints of suppliers who are of opinion ' that they arc not getting their true test. Your correspondent was very plain about ' the growling, etc., of many supplier?, but I am of opinion that it will never be otherwise until the supplier has a better ' guarantee that a careful check of his testing is being kept by another qpalified person. I am also of opinion that it ' would be quite workable to arrange for a qualified man—preferably a Govern- ' nient expert—to do the entire testing of ' each factory every fourth or sixth period, such expert to 'test knowing only the ■umber of each supplier and knowing nothing of previous records of tests or the factory's over-run. at which operation a committee of the factory board of directors could be present to witness the work being performed and at the same time receive any complaint from the expert if the samples to be tested were not in proper condition. I would welcome a new departure on these lines, and any factory manager who objected would aurelv have some doubt of his own work, for if the work is being properly performed no 1 man need fear a decision given by the | best expert in the Dominion. The supplier can arrive at the quantity of his milk, but from the receiving stage he loses sight of the quality, and lias to trust Implicitly to the man who is held respcyisible for turning out a given quantity of commercial butter in competition with other factories and upon which his reputation largely depends. I am in sympathy with the supplier, and I believe some system could be devised whereby greater confidence would obtain all round. And now, Sir, just a fewwords about watering. I am sanguine that if an agreement could be come to with the Dairy Division of the Agricultural Department to enable samples to be sent so that an analyst could discover whether milk had been either skimmed or watered and the manager were in--1 structed to take samples out of the weigh-can' samples of brow-beaters or growlers and other doubtful eases for- . warding them to the arranged laboratory, I I think watering would soon cease to exist, and though for a short time one would hear a little objection the end would justify the means, which would 'the Honest supplier. I see no reason whr.fthc added water contained in jfc'ilk sliouitl'tniKt; be discovered by Goiv'WTWneni- experts' just the same as the "addml'-miisture ist at present discovered 1 in" butter. This is ah industry worth protecting, and it is a«. -.well • known fact that if it not/foritiie simple butter-fat test blithe prqjerit-iday no factory could live, ' !tinl ulisffionest! suppliers would kill the j the srolden egg."-rl ani,| 'etc., i/i';- mi J H.W. JAMI?S, : .

I ') i-i e . jfM-: , Manager Moa Co.