Report Oil Dairying i)i Neic Zealand. 929 



The Produce Exchange in England has recently embodied in its 

 rules that the Government grade certificate shall be accepted by them 

 as final in regard to quality ; and another, that Government certifi- 

 cates of weights shall be binding. Such an acknowledgment, coming 

 as it does from perhaps the most conservative element of the trade, 

 should be convincing. 



These are features of grading that were never bargained for when 

 the system was introduced. It was originally brought into existence 

 for the sole purpose of educating factory managers, preventing the 

 continuance of defects in quality, keeping directors informed in 

 reference to the standard of their output, and, in short, encouraging 

 the production of good and discouraging the making of bad butter. 

 All the other advantages that have since accrued in the way of 

 facilitating trade were not dreamt of at the time the method was 

 initiated. 



Grading prevents the introduction of any practice that tends to 

 lower the quality of the output whether at the factory or on the farm. 

 When a bad report is received it carries great weight as it is a serious 

 thing for the manager to have the second grade stamp placed on the 

 boxes, and he is directly called to account by his directors. He in 

 turn very soon brings the careless supplier up to the mark. Home 

 separators are unknown in New Zealand as we know them. I came 

 across only one of these machines and it was used by a supplier to a 

 butter factory only when supplies, in winter, were insufficient to keep 

 the factory going. There are a few in the country but only in remote 

 localities where the dairymen are situated very long distances from 

 one another, and they are employed as stepping stones towards the 

 creamery system. As soon as the local supply is sufficient to run a 

 creamery or a butter factory economically, one is started and all the 

 milk skimmed there. 



That the grading system is not perfect is freely and generally 

 admitted. Occasionally a butter scoring a high number of points is 

 reported as not bringing as good a price or not turning out as well as 

 another, but such instances are very exceptional. The principle is so 

 sound, and the results are so satisfactory that the system is to be 

 extended with a view of securing even better results. It has been 

 suggested by the two National Dairy Associations I have referred to 

 that two members of the grading staff should be sent to England 

 each year to make, as far as possible, a general examination of ship- 

 ments on arrival and inquire into all specific complaints and report 

 in terms that will be understood by the staff at the New Zealand end. 

 It is conceded by the experts grading the butter that greater weight 

 is possibly given to specific defects than is warranted from a London 

 point of view, and that perhaps certain other faults are not quite 

 sufficiently discounted. The reports received from non-experts at the 

 other end are usually not intelligible and it is thought that many of 

 the terms used are too vaguely and generally applied. Frequently a 

 butter is called " fishy" when it is really only " tallowy," and "stale" 

 or off riavor in some other way instead. The proposal to supply this 



