DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1922, Page 5

DAIRY INDUSTRY.

AMENDING THE ACT. \ SOME IMPORTANT CHANGES. PROPOSALS IN NEW BILL. (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. The Dairy Industry Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the House today, relates chiefly to the question of “overrun” in proprietary factories, but it makes several amendments of importance in the law affecting the dairy industry. The definition of a dairy factory in the Dairy Industry Act, 1908, is amended to include “a cheese factory, a butter factory, a condensed milk factory, a milk powder -factory or other factory engaged in the manufacture of dairy produce, and includes a skimming station, a buying dr receiving station, or any other premises auxiliary to a dairy factory.” The Bill provides that where milk or cream purchased for the manufacture of dairy produce is paid for on the butterfat percentage the content shall be determined by the Babcock Gerber or other prescribed test, and the testing shall be undertaken in accordance with the regulations. A statement of overrun is to be furnished to suppliers by every owner of a butter factory or a cheese factory within two, months of the close of the financial year. The statement, which must be certified to by an accountant, is to show: (a) The weight of butter (correct to four places of decimals) made from each pound of butter-fat; (b) the percentage which the weight of unsalted butter manufactured bears to the total weight df butter manufactured; (c) the weight of cheese (correct to two places of decimals) made from each pound of but-ter-fat.

In calculating for this purpose the weight of cheese manufactured at a dairy factory, the weight ascertained at the factory shall be taken as correct, but shall be checked, in the case of export cheese, by reference to check weights if any is supplied by the grade. The date o-f the close of the financial year shall be determined, by the owner of the factory, but shall not be later than August 31 in any case. Any person from whom milk or cream has been purchased by the factory shall make application within six months after the receipt of the statement for an independent investigation into its correctness. The Minister may then request the audit office to make an examination of the books and accounts of the factory on security being lodged by the applicant to cover the cost of the investigation. The officer appointed to make the investigation is given power to call for books and papers and to take evidence on oath. The cost of the investigation is to be borne by the applicant. provided that if the investigation discloses an error of more than one-half per centum in the statement regarding the weight of butter or cheese made from each pound of butter-fat. the factory owner shall pay the cost of investigation. The Bill gives the Government power to make regulations for the effective administration of these provisions. Another clause prohibits the export of cheese deficient in fats. The clause makes it an offence to send to any grading store for the purpose of being graded any cheese of which the water free substance consists of less than 50 per cent, of fats wholly derived from milk. The exportation of such cheese is also to be an offence. The definition •of a co-operative factory in the Act of 1908 is altered to cover factories engaged in “the manufacture of butter, cheese, dried milk, casein or other article from milk or cream supplied to the company by its shareholders, or the collection, treatment or distribution for human consumption of milk or cream so supplied to the company.”