"WASTED CHEESE."

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1917, Page 6

"WASTED CHEESE."

. A WELLINGTON CANARD. EXPOSED.BY THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE. The New Zealand Times of .Tuesday slated tliat .there were 80,00. crates of cheese in store in Wellington. Some of the buildings were ret fit for the purpose, and it was said that owing to the heat some of the cheese was actually running into the harbor, and if matters remained as they were a great deal more would do the same. Tiie Times also held the jairy farmers v,n to obloquy for holding out for big price* for their produce from the Impirial Government. Wednesday's Times contained a spirited reply from the lion. YV. I). S. MaeDen.'ld .(Minister for Agriculture and Commerce) who stated that the New Zealand cheese producers had never declined to sell their cheese to the Imperial Government at lOd or lid per lb. In August, 131-5, the dairy companies, when ashed at a conference to quote foi the 'imperial Government a .price for all cheese placed f.o.b. ocean steamer, asked B%d per lb foi theL season's product, but the British Government refused the offer, holding that the price was too high. But that the price was a reasonable one was, 'lie considered, shown by the fact that the Home authorities -ad now made an offer of 9%d pei lb f.o.b. for the present season's cheese. This price the dairy companies had accepted, subject to certain conditions, which no doubt would be agreed to.

Mr. Mac Donald added that the shortape of shipping space was mainly responsible" for the present accumulation of cheese in store at Wellington. In all ther s'oiild, lit, said, he some SO.OOO "orates of cheese in the Wellington Harbor Hoard's stores, and 33,00(1 of these, were in the cheese ->tore. Of the balance the areata- part was in the Pipitea wharf -store; and some in A shed on the Glasgow wharf. "With repaid to tin aliened wastage of the cheese,'' said the Minister, "I am informed by Mi. D. Cuddie, the Director of the Dairy Division, that an inspection o'f this produce is made every day, arid a chart kept recording the temperature at which the cheese is stored, and that there is absolutely no truth in the contention that the cheese has suffered serious damage owing- to overheating. As a matter of fact, even the cheese that has been in store for two months is now in good order and condition, and, further, it can 1)0 said that ncr.e of the cheese has so far* suffered ai>v material damage. An inspection lot the .-lock in all the sheds was made I this morning, when it wal found that then? was no .Man of the butter-fat running from the cheese, although it was. noticed that a few here and there evidenced a slight oiliii'ess on" the rinds, but even this only applied to a compaiativcly small percentage ol the

"Trte present good condition of the cheese,'' he continued, "is in a very large measure due to the efforts of the Harbor Board oilicials, who have worked in conjunction with the officers of the Dairy Division towards that end. When the warm weather set hi, the Harbor Board immediately agreed to make provision for better ventilation of the sheds, and have so arranged the doors and receiving ports that these may admit cold air during the night. At one section of_ the main store a large fan was erected to ii.'.prove the air circulation. Moreover, the Harbor Board has oll'ered to ijo anything further in its power to 111i11i111i.se any loss which may be caused through the accumulation of tK'se large stocks of cheese. "The officer in charge of the Dairy Division has assured me that everything possible is being done to protect the cheese from harm, not only at Wellington, but at other where cheese is

stored. Extra space has been obtained in sonic casus at the local freezing nork.s, whole cheese is being held under the very best conditions. Ue has also intimate:! to me that the cheese now awaiting shipment is in some respects in nnifh better'order tliil'i) that which has leit the Dominion when the shipping facilities were very much better than tliey are at the picsent time; this being due to the extra care taken under the special circumstances winch . have arisen."

Ml'./ TURN KK'S INSPECTION. (By Telegraph—Special to News.)' Mr. S. Turner has just inspected all the cheese stored in Wellington, and it is ill good condition. He has informed all bank's to this eli'ect, so '.hat the incorrect report in the New Zealand Times will do no harm. OI'T'KK BY COMMISSION AGENTS AND MERCHANTS \ A deputation of commission agents and merchants waited upon the Hon. W. D. s. MacDomild (Minister for Agriculture and Commerce) on Tuesday afternoon to odor him their services in connection with the requisitioning of cheese. .The Minister afterwards stated to a Times representative that 'the members of the deputation .vished to lie allowed to carry out their usual relations with the cliee.se factories. "But, of course,'' Ik added, "J haven't received yet any.-communication i'rom England with regard to the terms on which the 'ciiee.se producers accepted our offer on the Imperial Government's behalf of D'-id per lb. I have no definite information 'Ms to how fai they are interested in the che'ese, but- they say that they have been enrryinsr on business in the usual way with the factories and that they .ire interested in advances and interested a good deal in the cheese, and they want to find out oxaeth how they erSnie in They want. I understand! to carry or, business in the usual way as merchants and commission-brokers, much in -tin* same way as the wool-brokers are doing in regard to wool. There is no doubt that there will have to ,l)e some adjustment made between the merchants and the agents and the factories when the matter is finally dealt with, lmt. wo -n do nnthiii" virtlier in th( matter till we jet word from England as to whether the Imperial. Rovernmenl accepts the producers' conditions."