Report o)i Dairying in Nen: Zcfdand. 927 



give me a good deal of detailed informatiou regarding grading and 

 the treatment, sliipping, and carriage of butter to London. 



On reaching Wellington both the Minister for Agriculture, the 

 Hon. Mr. Duncan, the Secretary for Agriculture, Mr. Ritchie, the 

 xlcting Dairy Commissioner, Mr. Cuddie, Mr. Harkness, Secretary of 

 the National Dairy Association, and many others connected with the 

 industry gave me the fullest particulars respecting every phase of the 

 industry. 



I then went to the South Island and visited many places near 

 Christchurch. At Dunediu I met the secretary of the parent National 

 Dairy Association, South Island, Mr. Scott, who gave me a detailed 

 history of that most useful organisation from its inception, even to 

 copious extracts from the minute books. 



• After visiting Edendale, where I met Mr. John Sawers, the king 

 of New Zealand cheesemakers, I went out to Wyndham, and was 

 introduced to Mr. Milne, president of the National Dairy Association, 

 South Island, proceeding thence to Invercargill and on to the Bluff. 

 Returning to Timaru I inspected the works recently erected at 

 Pareora, by the South Canterbury Meat Freezing Company, reputed 

 to be the most conveniently arranged and up to date freezing works 

 in New Zealand. I visited nine other freezing works before inspecting 

 these, four of which were more extensive than those at Pareora. 

 Crossing to the North Island I attended the T'almerston North Dairy 

 Show, returned to Wellington and left on the home journey on 

 Saturday, 28th June. 



Grading Dairy Produce for Export. 



I interviewed hundreds of dairy farmers, visited scores of farms 

 and dozens of butter and cheese factories, and went through live 

 grading stores, seeing the butter and cheese graded and studying the 

 system of instruction employed. The buyers and agents for export 

 butters interviewed were, with three exceptions only, most enthusiastic 

 as to the beneficial effect of grading on the dairying industry. One 

 of the dissentients, the secretary of a butter factory, asserted that 

 ''the proper place to grade was at the London end," but this was 

 combated by others, who pointed out to me that such a course was 

 out of the question, as a whole fortnight's butter was landed in a 

 couple of days after the arrival of each boat, and it would not be 

 practicable to defrost and examine the cargo, the delay would 

 seriously interfere with business. At any rate, they said that 

 although the real object of grading was to keej) the managers of 

 factories up to the mark, yet the time which would elapse between 

 making the examination in London, and the receipt of the repoi'ts 

 here, would render that advice of no value. 



The second complaint was from an agent, who stated that " some- 

 times dairy butter classed by the graders as second was better 

 appreciated than first grade at the other end, and would have sold 

 for more than it did but for the grade stamp. He thought that the 



