BUTTER FOR SOUTH AFRICA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7251, 9 August 1907, Page 2

BUTTER FOR SOUTH AFRICA.

Mr William Nicholson, chairman of directors of the Taieri and Peninsula Dairy Company, has been in Wellington during the past few days interviewing the Premier and other Ministers on the question of the carriage of dairy produce to South Africa. He points out that until recently the colony subsidised a line of steamers to South Africa to the amount of £30,000 per annum, which enabled his and the other companies to export butter to South Africa. Since the discontinuance of the line of steamers, the dairy factories have to compete with cheaper freights from Australia and the Argentine than they can get from New Zealand, and so the trade has practically ceased to exist. The freight from the Argentine is id per lb, from Australia id per lb, and from New Zealand Id per lb. Mr Nicholson's contention is that if the Government were to subsidise the Union Company and the Budda rt-Parker Company to the extent of Id per lb for the shipment of butter via Australia, and the shipping companies were to make a freight reduction of another Jd, a profitable trade with South Africa might still bo established, as our butter is of prime quality and much appreciated there. It is understood that the Government, will do its best to help the dairy companies.