THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 34, 3 August 1911, Page 5

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin, Last Night. The Hon. T. McKenzie, in an address to farmers to-day on the work dome by the Agricultural Department, more particularly in the direction of fostering the dairy industry, said that last year £10,805 had been expended on assisting ■ dairy fanners and controlling the industry. A staff of 21 officers were employed, including a grader and instructor. The scope of the division included instruction in butter and cheese making, grading the dairy produce, herd testing, inspection of dairy farm premises, instruction in handling milk, inspection and control of all dairy factories and skimming stations, organisation of new dairy companies, supplying plants to factories, also plains for cowsheds, testing milk and cream, testing Imtto.r and cheese maisture; in fact, every branch of dairying work \vcerved attention from the officers of this division. Instruction had also been given in butter and cheese making. Perhaps the most important part of the duties of the officers were grading and classification of butter and cheese for the oversea markets. He alluded to the inauguration of cow-testing, the numln'r of cows to be tested I>cm« about GOOO. Another important phase of the dairying industry tha.t had been receiving special attention during the last two seasons had been the visiting of dairy fairms by dairy instructors with a view to bringing about better sanitary conditions in connection with milk supplies. lie dwelt on the pasteurisation of products and by-products, and quoted returns of export of cheese and butter. These, he said, represented a value of £3,152,972, to which must be added the ; home consumption of £2,2(18,915. TTe then went on to allude to the proposal to fix a. higher grade for butter, f He reifemxl to the export of pork, and generally covered the whole field of the dairy industry, including wool and poultry. The address was warmly received and punctuated with applause.