MUCH WANTED BUTTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 303, 22 December 1926, Page 6

MUCH WANTED BUTTER.

We may profitably put beside the figures of the world's butter production, which we published yesterday, some calculations of the world's increase in population, for the comparison shows that the liking for butter has grown disproportionately. According to figures prepared by the League of the population and trade of the world in 1925 were both 5 per cent greater than in 1913. The American-compiled figures that we gave yesterday show that world imports of butter were at least 33 per cent greater than average imports for the period 1909-13. Britain's imports of butter in 1925 were 26 per cent greater than before the war, but the increase in the population was much less than this percentage. It is true of food supplies generally that they greatly outstripped population, but the development of dairying was especially marked. Evidently the world is hungry for butter, and, despite the ravages of the war, is eating it in larger quantities per head than in 1914. Germany imported last year twice as much as in 1909-13. That the standard of living in some countries has risen is part of the explanation. In England, for example, notwithstanding the long trade depression, and the special conditions produced by the coal strike, the healthy condition and prosperous appearance of the people are frequently commented upon. New standards create new demands, and so does supply. Large-scale manufacture of butter for export is a relatively new thing, yet the exporting countries manage to sell all they mak-j. It is difficult to set a limit to the demand for butter, for there is such a huge area of the world where standards of living are low, 'and may be raised within a few years. Changes in the East, for example, might lead to a huge demand for dairy produce. All this is satisfactory reading for New Zealand, but it should be borne in mind that this great increase in output comes from many countries, and that New Zealand has strong rivals.