BUTTER AND CHEESE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 April 1941, Page 4

BUTTER AND CHEESE

POSITION IN THE WAIRARAPA LITTLE CHANGE LIKELY. SOME TALK OF INSTALLING VATS AT MASTERTON. Although a considerable change-over from butter-making to cheese-making is necessary, owing to war conditions, as the Minister of Marketing, Mr. Barclay, indicated recently, it is not expected that this policy will affect the Wairarapa to any marked extent. There is some possibility that cheese vats may be installed at the Masterton dairy factory, but no official statement about this proposal is forthcoming. Asked yesterday what the general position was in the Wairarapa regarding cheese manufacture, Mr. C. H. Barber, of Carterton, secretary of several Wairarapa cheese factories, said he did not think that there would be much alteration to the present arrangements in the district. There had been already a considerable change-over of supplies from butter to cheese factories and practically all the cheese factories in the Wairarapa were working to full capacity. There was some talk, he said of putting in cheese vats at the Masterton factory to take supplies from certain areas. He added that there was not a sufficient quantity of milk in the Wairarapa—in contrast with dairying districts like Taranaki and the Waikato to necessitate any great change in the present facilities. The existing factories could easily cope with all the milk offering. Next season several more suppliers would be changing over to cheese factories. Questioned about the reported proposal to install cheese vats at the Masterton factory, the secretary, Mr. C., Van Praagh, said he had no on the matter at present. He went on' to state that the past season had been a marvellous one for milk supplies and although there had been a considerable change-over to cheese factories, supplies to the Masterton factory were only down about 60 tons compared with the corresponding period last year. That was a very satisfactory position, he said, though it did not indicate the true state of affairs, as if the season had not been so exceptionally good, the decrease in butter production would have been considerably greater.