FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1916, Page 8

FARM AND DAIRY.

THK CHKUSh: QUESTION. Farmers and others interested in tli'.i manufacture and sale of cheese are much concerned is to the future of the industry. Kirsl, it, was the supply ot rennet, and now the diliienlty lies in anticipating wiiai course the British (ioveruineut will ultimately adopt. If they decide to eonnnamleer the cheese and fix a price Iqwer than present figures, then there will be trouble. At a meeting in South Taranaki one chairman took particular care to impress this question on the suppliers. Tie said it may appear unpatriotic for them to insist upon getting the highest possible figure, but a co-operative cheese company was a business proposition, and must he run on sound business principles. That being so his directors hardly thought it reasonable to close with a Government offer at a price which they believed would prove to be I<l to l.lil per lb lower than what would be offered on the open market.

Since that mooting, however, matters have been complicated by the threat oi the British Government to commandeer all cheese and fix the selling price. This would be a very drastic step, and not at all to the liking of those engaged in the industry. Tlicy argue, and with sonic shew of reason, that it is decidedly unfair that one particular class of produce should be controlled by Government order, and otners allowed to bring any prices ruling. Again, many factories posses* dual plants, so there is nothing to prevent them dropping cheese and going in for butter. With a scarcity 01 rennet, shortage of labor, and the stepping in of the Jiritish Government this combination may force the factories to revert to butter, which, under the circumstances, would prove the better proposition. Again, if the supply of cheese is limited how are the demands to be met? It seems the better way would have been to have allowed the chee.%. prices to go to what the public were prepared to pay, and then come on the factories or consignees for a war tax. Again, one wonders why Sir Thomas Mackenzie is not consulted on the matter. The Xew Zealand Agent-General is admittedly the ablest man we could have to. represent the . industry in Britain, having a practical knowledge of farming in New Zealand, and also possessing firsthand information regarding the position in the Homeland, ft looks as if "oor Tam" has been side-tracked, and the side-tracking has been at the expense of one of the most important industries of the Dominion, It is said that negotiations are being conducted by British and and Dominion Governments. It may be correct, and probably is, but we surely could have obtained better results by leaving the matter in the hands of an expert such as the High Commissioner.

WHEY V. SKIM-MILK.

The writer was always of opinion that the skim-milk animal was a better beast than the one reared on whey. At one time pigs and calve.? reared on wliey did not compare at all favorably with the skim-milk animal. But the farmer has acquired experience since then, and now the whey calf is in as good, if not better, demand than the skim-milk animal. This week the journey in a railway carriage was made interesting on a discussion on this question. The whey-man clinched the matter by remarking that the whey calf or steer was the better animal in that if it survived the early treatment it was proved to possess a strong constitution, and that if had done no harm. Mention was made that at the last Xew Plymouth Show Mr. Dan Hughes exhibited four bullocks, three 3-year and one 2.V----year-old, that won a first prize for freezers. The heaviest beast would go about !!401bs, and the carcases certainly compared fa\orabiy with other cattle in the competition pens.