MAKING OF CHEESE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 August 1922, Page 6

MAKING OF CHEESE.

PARTIALLY SKIMMED ARTICLE. MANGATOKI COMPANY’S DECISION. That the dairy farmer is alive to the necessity of obtaining everything possible from his produce is evidenced by the keen interest that is being taken by suppliers in the experiments made by the Hawera Dairy Company in the manufacture of cheese from partially skimmed milk. The matter was discussed at the meeting of the Mangatoki Dairy Company on Wednesday, when Mr. D. L. Astbury asked if the directors were considering the question of experimenting in that direction. He drew attention to the report of the Hawera Dairy Company on the experiments that had been made by that company. The chairman (Mr. J. Marx) considered that it was one of the worst things that could happen to the industry, and he would be glad if the meeting passed a resolution not approving of the manufacture of partially skimmed milk. New Zealand had gone to considerable trouble to build up a reputation for its dairy produce, and though perhaps for a time one or two companies might gain some benefit, so surely as they went on with its manufacture, so surely would the whole of New Zealand suffer. Mr. Astbury said that the manager of the Hawera Dairy Company had conducted the experiments under the supervision of the Dairy Division. It was absolute nonsense to say that its manufacture would prejudice our produce on the Home market, because the British public was used to purchasing goods according to their worth. For years they had had the opportunity of purchasing whole milk cheese, partially skimmed cheese, or skimmed milk cheese. He had been informed by one of the members of the Hawera Company that as a try, he had made cheese of the three qualities. which were sold on their merits. The Farmers’ Union had sent a letter to the department. as they understood the manufacture of this article was ille- ' gal. but as long as the cheese was manu- • factored and sold to the public branded i as skim milk cheese, or partially skim milk cheese, it was permissible. The < Hawera people had proved that it was ’profitable in the fall of the season to • take some of the butter-fat out of the milk, which it is recognised is otherwise ;only wasted, as it cannot all be got into i the cheese, and some surplus fat was | also sweated out of the cheese. The I manufacturer and one of the directors of 1 the Hawera Dairy Company attended the Farmers’ Union conference at Inglewood and defied the members to tell the i difference between the whole milk cheese

and the partially skimmed cheese. He recognised that the fear of dam£tgins the reputation of the cheese was woi’th considering, but he pointed out the <sme objection was raised years ago in the case of whev butter, and as a result he was satisfied that thousands and thousands of pounds worth of produce had been allowed to run down the drain Whev butter had. however, been =old on its merits. He suggested that the directors should experiment with a vimv to finding out whether it was a profitable proposition to manufacture partially skimmed milk cheese. If it was possible as a factory to make extra monev out of the produce they were manufacturing, they were perfectly justified in doing so. . The chairman said that the late Dairy Commissioner was averse to the proposal. and the present Dairy Commissioner was nndeeided. It would, he considered. he alright if they were only to manufacture full cheese and entirely skim milk, but it partiallv sknu cheese was manufactured, it would perhaps resolve itself into a question of analysis to ascertain what the percentage of fat was. The problem of percentage of moisture in butter would be a fool to Mr. Astbury tl> en moved that the directors be recommended to take into iconsideration the advisability of experimentin'- with a portion of the output in Hie fall of the season bv making partially skimmed cheese with a view to ascertaining whether it is profitable. Tki* w»» «£*!•*•