Dairy Instruction and hispection. 50< 



The following was received from another man interested : — " 1 

 know that the inspection in this district is to all intents and ])urposes 

 no inspection at all. The inspector has no practical knowledge of 

 •dairy matters at all, and does not trouble the farmers with his presence 

 very much. The good farmers particularly are complaining of this 

 laxity. I frequently find farmers sending inferior cream to the 

 factory, just through ignorance of the proper methods of handling and 

 conditions of surroundings likely to injure it. Many are anxious to be 

 put on the right track, and it requires a skilled man to go round and 

 visit farms and give practical instruction." 



Another dairyman writes that municipal inspection is pop\dai- 

 in his Shire, because, from various causes, it ceases to be inspection 

 except in name. The suppliers want instruction to enable them 

 to iinprove their butter or else they will go behind now with strong 

 •competition from other countries. 



Writes another : — " I would not care to write down all 1 know 

 about dairymen in our district, but very bad cream arrives from some 

 of the farms, an inspection of which would soon satisfy anybody that 

 something was radically wrong and plenty of room existing for 

 instruction. The dairymen put the blame of almost everything on the 

 separator machine. I enclose letter from one who sent in some very 

 bad cream, saying that the cream was not what he would like it to be 

 AS his machine was in very bad order and some of the parts were 

 worn out. Another letter 1 send is frf)m a dairyman who says that 

 the speed of his machine is correct and it runs smoothly; he cannot 

 understand why his cream should be bad." 



Another man writes : — " 1 consider that without the power to 

 enforce any recommendations the inspector may make, it is only 

 a matter of class taxation for the fanner to have to pay salary without 

 deriving any benefit. Although inspection has been the means of 

 improving the use of the home separator, I don't think it has 

 improved our butter. The home separator is a great eucourager of 

 careless ways to some farmers, such as dirty milking, no straining, 

 putting milk through that would be rejected at creamery, not 

 delivering often enough, and carelessness in transit to the station, 

 having no covering in hot weather. Until you can impress the farmer 

 by instruction there will not be much done for the bettering of 

 the butter industry." 



It is more than likely that the Health Act 1890, from which the 

 Municipal Councils derive their powers, was enacted without much 

 consideration being given to the influence it would have on the 

 quality of dairy products for export, the main desire being that the 

 wholesomeness of that portion produced for local consumption should 

 be ensured — especially city milk supplies — ^it being considered of 

 trivial importance whether butter commanded top price or twojience 

 below that figure, as long as it was not injurious to the health of the 

 consumer. Very little butter was being exported then, and even 

 with regard to that little it is improbable that the health of con- 

 sumers abroad was being considered. The welfare of the dairying 



