CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 260, 26 March 1913, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

IX DEFENCE OF Ti'lK DAIRYMAN. To llio Editor. Sir.—As a dairy farmer I was much interested in your correspondent's lettqr, •'One of the Czars." The tone of this "Czar ' is very antagonistic to the dairy farmer. _ >,K least it doesn't look as if we poor ignorant farmers could put much conlidence in him. Bullying of this description doesn't do any good to us. f. think "Czar" forgets that he owes Ms livelihood to the dairy farmers, the real owners of the factory he manages. It is a wonder that he doesn't go in for milking when lie sees-the huge profits dairymen are making. He would then find that he wouldn't be getting £3 to £4 per week as he does at present. He would also find that .Hilly, Tom. Mary and even the wife wouTd lie working for nothing. "Czar" savs that lie. has been managing for 17 years. That is a long record, and by now he should be almost perlect. It shouldn't trouble him very much when asked to put the required amount of moisture in butter or cheese, but. you see, he doesn't like to be growled at. A few years ago he was satisfied

with an 8 or 10 per cent, over-run. The

small dairy farmer suddenly found out. that thousands of pounds were being lost down tlie drains, but "Czar" thinks we should keep our tongues quiet. A common dairy farmer shouldn't know such things as these. He gives us a final warning about quantity at the expense of quality. I take it that he means the so-called water-logged lnittev. Does lie know that normal butter, say 1;1 per cent., contains less moisture than almost any looil we eat? A table T have b'.'fore nio gives the following percentages of water: Fresh beef steak "3.0. fresh lean ham fifl.n. eggs 73.7, raw .potatoe--, 78.3. wheat bread 211.2, dried prune? 22.1!. Tt will be seen that butter is not high in moisture contents compared with other foods. ''Czar" wouhl have no fear of losing his job if lie studied his suppliers and the technical parts of his work. Testing will never I>s satisfactory until put above suspicion, esneciallv when ' Czar" admits that lu; fakes the test?

when asked by his directors to make normal butter or cheese. Then, aarain, the farmers are very dirtv people. Poor farmer! Little this ''•'Czar" of Taranaki cares what you go through. Xow, vou nev»r hear anvthing about die dairv f,vctories being dirtv. do you? Oh," dear no. J her are all clean people who liv» in them. T wonder what "Czar" would call the si nil that comes into the can? from (]„. skim milk and whev tanks thick junks that run around the cans like yieehorses Then you know. Mr. Editor if we don't bring sweet milk in these eans the next, morning they are sent, home and called "rotten." Can vou wonder at mn- lieipir prowlers?—T am etc., OXE OF THK GROWLERS.