THE PRICE OF MILK.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 88, 14 April 1913, Page 2

THE PRICE OF MILK.

■'•• . _ ■_ pqsjstoM. : - . '' : > : : ; •.';!.. X7QRST- .FORI'M •XEAES:.... p.;;. ...He shortage in the supply of milk/hae; :ti'6^V'' : bfeedme j so very acute .that-the outlook for tie cornihg is very serious" In "conv : ei-aatio'n'" : \yit ; h; the- representative of one of - the- 'lavgcr - milkeupplying firms- 6t Auckland, i'repre-' eentative of the Auckla:iid':"Star" was. . informed that th,e,\position,.p.£;.the.milk ■supply is now the ■worst'known.'ior'thc - last 3O"yoars; lack.of :jain. Althgugli .there has _been. an occasitHial •wet day, etill practically no heavy rain has fallen in' the Auckland district einoe laeLSepteniber-. .Rain set in torday, ihut coming as" it does from'tiie..s6utli-. I'frest,! it: iwill Jiot, be. of., ye jy." "beliefit, ac the niglits . are iio\y', too. .to permit" of the pasture growing enongt to "provide much feed' for the coming-'yrinter, .and the. effect on the cows will be equally bad, as cold nights must -decrease .the (supply- -of milk." -It - would ■be jppssible even now to l>ring in milk'ffom further away, were "it not for the fact that, under the law, it can only be supplied in ■ town . fnsin 'duly registered, dairies, and farmers wlio do not send an milk all the year. '.are not willing to go to the, expense entailed in the way of concrete floors things specified) to complete the requirements under the Act for the short.time the milk..would : ■Bβ required. •. ■ "■'■".' ■•'"■ It is estimated that at theC, present jtißje the. shortage, «f milk is about .1,500 .. gallons '. per.. dajv and .this,, _tpj>; "bef pre. the cold weather has 'iseally^set; _in.- -, This means; a .logs 'of. fully £.50.j).er day:iip 'the'farmfers .iyho regularly sup-ply' the "dairies in the city.*" Under eiistingfcircumstinceSj the - only ' course to bo adopted is to curtail -the - consumption; --and-'to- secure -that "result,-it"is--ce'rta.rn '"the • jirice - wilt ie -raised I .-arithin... the: J. 'coursed of -a week 'of.. s6".ri"6r the' pust ".three weeks"so little milk has"beea.sent in that vendors liave been compelled to deliver twice on Sundays* because 'suffi.":cient;_did .not-.corne to.hjiiid to. give the double spppjjr at .the morning delivery. Cream is "now out of the question, as it means wasting^- ; -too miich milk to supply it. One large firm, had to refuse to supply -creani yesterday " r to Jail their 'customers, finding, it "impossible to get ' ""it ffom'-pWperly. iegUtered' dairiee. Another profit to dairy farmers has ihesni'cut...off; owing to the ' shortage •of milk and pasture rendering it impoesible to. feed the. calves. One ' wagon load" of "calves -sent" to auction . this week only- realised -30/ for, the lot, whereae-in-an.-«r4inary'-.seaeoiT they, woulff" Have averaged "frOni 115/ to 25/ "each: ■ Another lof ■ .of ~nine ■.calves, .was sold for 25/. This means" hot only prei "sent,' but-future, loss, as most of the .. calves:will, he killed, and; thus diminish the supply of iv three years' tiinel That, however, "ia"-' a"" matter .for.. the future; the, question of the' moment is . how :the supply pf milk will be main•.tained dniing the coming winter.