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The comment from the London office regarding flatness in flavour is intended to be taken in the strictly critical sense. In general there is no complaint from the dairyproduce trade on this score. Suggestions that the moisture and salt analyses of butter at the New Zealand end were not confirmed by analyses at patting factories were investigated by the London officers, aided by laboratory checks, with the result that the work in New Zealand was proved correct. These matters are of some importance to the industry, as the control of moisture and salt in manufacture affects the yield of butter and consequent returns to producers. Reports indicate that for Continental markets especially the bacteriological condition of butter is important, particularly regarding B. coli organisms. Complaint in this respect was made about one shipment of unsalted butter and resulted in greater attention being given to the condition of creamery plants when subsequent consignments of unsalted butter for these special markets were manufactured. The butter complained of was faulted on laboratory tests and not on senses grading. Numerous reports on the outturn of cheese indicate that New Zealand manufacturing technique is sound and, in fact, that the Dominion's reputation for cheese quality has been raised to a very satisfactory level in recent years. Comment has freely been made in Britain regarding " mouse-trap " cheese, the inference being that much of the cheese on the ration has been of mediocre quality and uninteresting in character. That appellation could apply to any cheese marketed in an immature condition, but conditions of supply and distribution in Britain at the present time are such that there is a tendency to hold New Zealand cheese as reserve stock. This gives greater maturity, and, providing the conditions of storage are right, will enhance the reputation of New Zealand cheese. In the main this has been the case, but there have been occasions when, through indifferent storage, our cheese has been heated or mite infested when marketed. Fortunately traders recognize this as not the fault of New Zealand, but this fact may not always be known by the consumer. All routine examinations of butter, cheese, and milk powder are the subject of reports which are forwarded to the dairy companies concerned, thus ensuring that the dairy-factory manager receives first-hand advice of the outturn of his produce. Special reports cover Cheshire-type cheese, the outturn of which has been somewhat variable, 52-per-cent-fat cheese, which has been reported on favourably, and numerous other experimental lots of produce shipped from time to time. Regular reports on butter, cheese, and milk-powder containers provide a useful check on the suitability of packages and assist in the improvement of both materials and assembly. The transport of export butter requires a number of special characteristics in the material used for packaging, whether it is timber or fibre. Largely as the result of the efforts of the Division's London officers, with the assistance of research laboratories in Britain, the present very satisfactory fibre container has been developed. As most of the material used is manufactured in Europe, liaison between the London officers and the manufacturers has been possible and has been quickly effective when changes have been required. "It is a function of the London office to keep closely in touch with research and technological workers in Britain and Europe and thus keep New Zealand up to date with information about quality controls and processing and manufacturing techniques used in all forms of dairy products. The senior officer in London, Mr. F. H. Taylor, after twenty-eight years' service with the Division, twenty of which were spent in London, retires on 30th April. Mr. Taylor is to be succeeded by Mr. M. H. Wallace, Assistant Inspector of Dairy Products for the past three years.

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