OUR PRODUCE IN LONDON.

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2033, 27 March 1913, Page 4

OUR PRODUCE IN LONDON.

Messrs W. Weddel and Co. send us their weekly market report, dated February 14, as follows:—

Butter.—The improvement that showed itself last week in the prices of Australasian butter has slightly eased off, but business for very best quality remains sound and values are maintained for "choicest" goods without any quotable change, especially for Victorian and New Zealand, both salted and unsalted. Secondary quality butters or anything below "choicest" are difficult to sell at last week's figures, and'the'bulk of the business this week has been done at a slight reduction.- Lower qualities are meet- ' inj* a dragging market. Unsalted maintains a premium over salted of 2s and 4s per cwt. ''Choicest" Victorian is making 108s and 110s per cwt for salted, and from 112s and 114s for unsalted. New South Wales and Queensland salted are selling at 106s and 108s with an exceptional Is more for something extra in quality. New Zealand is making 116s to 117s for strictly "choicest" salted, although there are sales at 115s for ordinary first grade. Unsalted New Zealand is bringing 118s with 120s for a strictly "choice' , brand. Arrivals this week total 72,562 boxes, of which 56,440 are from New Zealand and 23,122 from Australia, against 57,586 from Australia last year. The market for Scandinavian and other foreign butters is weaker. Unsalted butters are scarce on the Continental markets. Argentine butter is still coming forward in good supply—much larger than for any recent year—• and is meeting a good enquiry for very best qualities, other grades being difficult to sell except at rather low figures. Since the effect of the great drought in 1911, which forced the price of butter up so high, a steady increase in the consumption of margarine has gone on in this country. Along with this increased demand there have been great improvements in the manufacture of margarine.

Cheese.—The demand for New Zealand and Canadian cheese shows no sign of weakness, nor does it gather strength', although stocks are decreasinsr. Prices remain at the level of the last -week or two. viz. 60s and 61s Tier cwt for New Zealand, and 61s and 65s for Canadian. Statements regarding the enormous increase" this Tear in the of New Zealand cheese are still being circulated. The shipments from New Zealand in the. whole of February last year were 4,177 tons; this year they are already 3827 tons, owing to five vessels leaving; in the first eight days, while last year only one left in the same period. Only two more vessels are leaving this month as against five last year.