THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 183, 2 August 1923, Page 3

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

IMPORTANCE TO AUCKLAND. EXPORTS OF £7,000,000. ' During the pact year there was exported from the Auckland Province 35,175,000 tons of butter and 9153 tons of cheese, representing a moncv value of about £7,000,000, stated Mr. Sinclair, manager of the Xew Zealand Co-opera-tive Dairy Association in the course of a talk at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon this afternoon. He added that in dairying this part of the Dominion had long left the South Island behind, as instanced from the fact that 42 per cent of the dairy produce export came from the Auckland Province. The value of the dairy produce exported from New Zealand last year was about £18,000,000. In stressing the importance of the industry to the province, the speaker stated that the money paid to the railways for freight in the Auckland Province last year was '£725,000, and £175,000 was* paid for freights by road and river, while £20,000 was paid in wages to waterside workers, £80,000 for storage, and £4000 for wharfage dues. In the purchase of machinery and the other materials connected with the industry the producers spent £550,000 last I year, "and there were 12,000 dairy farmers and 1500 workers directly employed in the producetion of the butter, cheese, milk powder, etc.. handled by the industry, and just now there would be about" 60,000 people in the province primarily dependent on the industry for a living. The expense in connection with the manufacture and placing on the ship of ■ the products came to about £1.554,000. | At the prices which have ruled during the past year the dairy fanner did not get enough to enable him to do any hoardin?, but when the price in Britain was 1/8 to 1/9 'per pound to the consumer ' the dairy farmer was in a satisfactory ; position. It was considered that the sale of butter in Britain by the retailer jat l/b per pound was the lowest that would (jive the producer a profit on pre- ' gent methods of handling and marketing. 1 The great problems before the indus- ' J try. said iMr. Sinclair, were a better i system of checking the marketing co as Tto eliminate the profits of speculators, I and the finding of new foreign markets. 1 A promising market was now being uncovered in the Orient, and at the moment ' there was before Parliament a bill which proposed to control the marketing of Xew Zealand dairy produce in foreign countries. Mr. Sinclair explained the pur- _ port of the bill, and spoke also of the prospects of a market being found in the , ■In reply to question? he said he thought there was room for more extensive advertising ol Xew Zealand products, and also for scientific research work to . improve the dairy industry.