A London Agent on Cheese Exportation.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 149, 23 June 1894, Page 10

A London Agent on Cheese Exportation.

Linen has been heard of late of the opinions of agents and shippers as to the pro, epeefca of New South Wales cheese on the London market. A representative of the Sydney 'Morning Herald 1 called on M r William H. Archer, the Sydney agent o' Cooy and Co., Limited, of London, to obtain from him hia opinions on the ques--1 tion of exporting cheaao, and anything ho might have to say on the butter trade. •It is undoubtedly necessary,1 said Mr Archer, 'that a special cheese should be made tor the English market, of a size ranging between 601b and 701b each. Ac present the factories here have nob the planb that would be required. I fancy, however, thab a number of them will soon see the necessity of making cheese, especially for the home marked, as those in New Zealand did. The question of size is, of course, purely a matter ot custom. Bub they are very consrvative in England. If the smuil aizo was sent buyers would nob give the fuil market rates ; and although by constantly Bonding this clfisa of cheese the prejudice might be eventually overcome, bke trial would be a very expensive one to make. la New Zealand they have adopted the required size, and I think thab it will be very much easier to alter the plant than to try to change the English taste.' ' But would nob the cheese as at> present made be favourably received in London ?' 1 Well, ib might,' replied Mr Archer, ' bub the present system would have to be changed. You see, ib would never do to leave cheeao on the floors here until it was found that it could not be sold, and then simply pay the freight and ship ib Home. It would arrive so strong and decomposed that it would be worthless. Ib will have to be shipped at a certain age, and carried during the voyage at a temperaturo of from say 45-to 55 degrees.' Questioned as to tho colour required by the English consumer, Mr Archer said he was of opinion that two-thirds of white should be shipped, and the remaining third coloured. There was a growing tendency to use white cheese, simply because it wa3 recognised thab the white cheeae was the purer, and ib had also the great advantage of keeping longer. The oheese industry, continued Mr Archer, was capable of great) developments. Tho market in England for this article was nob nearly so fluctuating as wub the market for butter,, and shipperscould always rely upon getting from 50s to 54a per cwt. Mr Archer was questioned in reference to a paragraph which recently appeared in a publication in the United Kingdom, in which ib was stated that ' no butter Hells at or near the top of the market in London thab possesses a trace of salt in it.' The butter, the paragraph went on to state, of tho highest class ia made in Eugland, bub there is not very much of it. The great bulk of the fine butter comes from the northern part of France, and ia made by the French farmers with but little colour and no salt. Danish butter has more salt, and takes a rank below Normandy or Fiench rolls. This is insipid butter to those accustomed to the market butter very well saltod, but those who like the flavour eat two or three times as much of it as those who preter tho salted article. Mr Archer's opinion waa that ib would never do for the colonial butter to be sent without; salt. His firm even favoured a; little more salt;, with a little loss preservitaß. SpeakiDg of the future of the industry, Mr Archer considered thab tho Fresh Food and Ice Company were going aboub it in the right way by establishing creameries all over the country. The butter now sent to London had very often'half a dozen shades in a, box. Ab presenb it was nob thoroughly -realised thab the London market wanted a special article made for ib, and ib was only in that way that we can compete with the Danish article as ,successfully as the Victorians have done. In aboub a fortnight, concluded Mr Archer, he would be taking a trip to New Zealand to make inquiries into the cheeso industry there. Upon hia reburuheinbended to imparb the information he had gathered to the local factories to enablo them to more successfully carry on the industry. ______ _____„