THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 June 1917, Page 3

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

CONFERENCE IN AUCKLAND. PRESENT AND FUTURE PROSPECTS. The fourth annual conference of delegates of North Auckland dairy factories was held in' Auckland last week. About sixty delegates attended, and Mr. J. G. 'Harkness, manager of the National Dairy Association, was voted to the chair. The proposal of the Board of Trade to purchase 'butter at fixed prices was stigmatised by the chairman as one of the most ridiculous ever made to thougntful people. If it was the policy of the Government that the people should get cheap butter, and should not pay the retail price current in.the English market, the only businesslike course would have been to buy in the early part of the season sufficient to feed the people at the price they were entitled to pay. The Government had no right to levy on those who exported to pay for those who did not export. Further, they had no Tight to compel the producers of cheese to make good the loss made in regard to butter under the Board of Trade scheme. What right had the Government to make cheese-makers pay for the losses incurred through selling butter at a "fixed local price? If Parliament did not in the coming session do justice to the farmers it must 'be their aim to get another and a 'better Parliament. (Applause). With reference to the purchase of cheese, by the Government he considered it had ibeen a good thin£ for t!ie cheese producers, in that it gave them the good price of 9%d per lb., and threw upon the Government the responsibility for getting the cheese exported. Where the Government made a mistake was in not purchasing the whole of the stock in New Zealand in January, 1916. Coming to the prospects of the industry, Mr. Harkness predicted that for years there would be a good market for both butter and cheese. The herds of the Continent had been depleted through the war. 'Moreover, people who had not been accustomed to consume beef and mutton had got into the habit ot' using it nvhile they were campaigning, and would demand its continuance when they returned home. The watchword of the industry for tho future must be "attention to quality and tho extension of storage capacity for 'both butter and cheese all through New Zealand." A lengthy discussion took place on the grading of cream, and a resolution was carried to the effect that the minimum deduction for second-grade cream should be one penny, instead of a halfpenny per lb., and that the subject be considered at the next annual meeting.

Mr. Havkness, reporting on the question of tho advertising of New Zealand produce in Great Britain, stated that the matter would he conflidered at the annual meeing of the National Dairy Association at Palmerstofi North. The secretary reported that he had written to the Minister of Railways, drawing attention to the fact that someimes live stock and manure were carried in,the same wasons as cream-cans and this Moved detrimental to tlie quality qf the oream. The Minister had replied to the effect that the Department's instructions were that the utmost care should ho pxcrcisefd to keep dairv products away from any other goods which might' contaminate them and where the regular milk and cream traffic was of sufficient' volume a special wagon was nrovided for its conveyance.

"Tlmt seeing there is a number of able-bodied men not fit for active service, we petition Parliament to co-oper-ate, with' the "Farmers' Union to make r.se of all available men not fit for active service to take the nlace of strikers, and all boards of directors he a committee to organise those men to fill the vacancies caused <hv strikers," was a remit submitted by Mr. Hay ward, representing the Manngatapere Dairy Company, and carried unanimously. The following remit from the Kaipara Dairy Company was adopted:—"That in view of the possibility of thesß being large stores of butter in the freezing chambers at the end of the season, viz.. May 31, the dairy factories, iigrce to a uniform valuation of the butiSr then on hand for the purpose of tor various "balance-sheets."

A proposal from the Waipua Dairy Company that the National Dairy Association bo asked to hold its annual meeting at Auckland, Hamilton, and Palmcrston North in turn, instead of Palmerston North .only, as at present, was adopted.