N.Z. DAIRY INDUSTRY

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 32, 10 March 1930, Page 10

N.Z. DAIRY INDUSTRY

(Specially Written for the Telegraph).

AS OTJTSIDERS SEE IT. OUESTIONS SOLVE.D AND UNSOLYED.

A good many people from other countries have lately given their impressions of farming in New Zealand, and, •n addition, we have had seyeral men who have spent a lifetime in one or other branch of the Dominion's primary industries, return from abroad and give expression to criticism or pral£e. Those who view farming here •for the first time, ean often form very accurate ideas of our methods in comparison with those in vogue in other countries, and it is therefore useful to review their statements, and, where possible, take heed of their advice. Two delegations of Australian farmers have visited these shores during recent months, the first coming -from Tasmania, and the second being drawn from all States. Botli have been duly impressed with our production methods, especially as practised on the best - of our dairy farms, and both have been enthusiastic in their praise of our co-operative factory system, and with the factories themselves. Both, however, have noted certain weaknesses in oiir marketing methods, and have urged greater co-operation in this respect. AN AMERICAN'S VIEWPOINT. Some time qgo a well-known American journalist, Mr Marshall Dana, made a thorough tour of our dairying country, being given special facilities bv the Agricultural Department, ' and before leaving he made several statements which showed that he had made very good use of his time in New Zealand. He said that "concentration on production, the use of many scientific aids, and a watchful eye on the fardistant market to which your produce has to be transported, are I think, the trinity responsible -for your success.'' He spoke of tlie way in which the Waikato was "man-made country," production, having been built up through the use of fertilisers and good farming methods. Hc, too, noted weaknesses on our marketing side, and also spoke of the obvious foolishness ohtaining in ihe overlapping of cream cartage in certain districts, a subject, which has often been ventilated byi our own Dairy Division in the past. Two more recent impressions are worth recording. Mr W; M. Singleton, Director of the Dairy Division, after an extended trip abroad noted that New Zealand butter was practically the most uniform received in England, but foiind also that . there were certain quality defects connected with a proportion of our cheese, which required remedying. -i Mr J. B. MacEwan went a good deal further on his return from abroad, and has criticised most strongly the quality of our cheese, stating that the quality was -falling back, and that this had been going on for . some seasons. Be has been urgiag that the •industry be called together to discuss the whole question. THESE TWO WEAKNESSES. All the ahove opinions have been given by men well qualified to speak, after close contact with .-.farming here and elsewhere. It can be taken therefore that our farming methods — or rather the .methods of our best farmers- -are sound, and ahead of ihose in most otlier countries, but granting ourselves that, we have to admit two weaknesses , that of cheese quality, and lack of organised marketing. The cheese quality problem is a complex one, and attempts to make it a breed discussion lead nowhere. It h.as to be faced, and in facing it we may just as well admit that much of it is traceable to endeavours to increase yields. Responsibility for that lies at the door of everv co-operative supplier, for unless the suppliers press for unduly high yields, managers will make only the best quality cheese. There is no doubt whatever that this question could he solved if the indus-. try got seriously to work, but it will' onlv he done when individual farmers realise that it pays to produce the higher quality cheese. For instance, when the Dairy Produce ■ Board was offering the premium for ''finest" ; cheese, the standard improved at once ; directlv- that premium v*as withdrawn and "finest" and first grade sold at the one price, the quantity of "finest" dropped. Certainlv there are some defects in our cheese which are not easily traced or settled; openn'ess is one of_ them, an.d although one type of this is definitely due to the supply of poor quality milk, there is anotlier type which so far has baffled our scientists. CO-OPERATIITS MARKETING. When one commences to touch on. marketing questions, one is apt to be treading on people's corns. The writer proposes to touch on this subject but lightly, however, merely to show what is being done elsewhere. Tlie rapicl development of the chain stores system in other countries has led to massed buying, and as a result producers are urged to sell en masse, through cooperative marketing movernents When you see such conservative papers as The Country Gentleman and Saturday Evening Post, urging farmers to unite in their marketing because thev are not getting the fnll fruits o-f their labours, you begin to realise that there is something in cooperatvve marketing During recent months both these papers have been giving instances off( isuccessful cooperative marketing, and urging the i dairyfarmers of America to improve on lexisting marketing methods. j Similarly, schemes for better marI keting are part of programmes in both I England and Australia. The trend of ' the times is towards greater co-opera-It-ion in farming industries, and probI ably in 20 years from now co-operation I in marketing will be recognised as an essential part of primary production just as co-operation in m'anufaoture is to-day. The question is one at least that should interest every farmer, and by reading of the history of similar enterprise in other countries, he will be ahle to form ideas as to whether'this type of marketing will help him to improve his returns. No industry is mnving more ranidlv ahead in the Dominion than dairving, and it is esseniial for farmejg? to keep abrenst of all developments. if. the-* aro to make the most of th«'V pr>nortimitieq.