HINTS ON BUTTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 174, 25 July 1932, Page 3

HINTS ON BUTTER.

COMMENTS OF A BUYER. "BUY BRITISH" MOVEMENT. WHAT THE CONSUMER WANTS. On a visit to Auckland is Mr. Herman Jennings, of Sheffield, who imports primary produce from overseas and is a director of the Rover Motor Car Company. He has been touring Australia and New Zealand, and to-morrow will catch the Niagara on his way back to England. Naturally he lias been watching events at Ottawa, and interviewed thi* morning he underlined the reminder of Mr. S. M. Bruce that there must be reciprocity if the conference was to be a success'. In Great Britain, he said, there was a wave of patriotism sweeping over the country, and the slogan, "Buy British," really meant something. In Sheffield, where Danish butter wae formerly bought to the exclusion of all other brands, the housewives were now asking fer the Empire product. Such a demand would become a habit, and it would do much to increase the sale of the colonial butter. At the same time, said Mr. Jennings, the English consumer would not be willing to pay for the Empire article a higher price than ho would have to pay for an extra-Empire article of the same quality. Incidentally, he mentioned that New Zealand butter was well advertised in the Old Country. The Position Reversed. While he was much impressed with the quality of the New Zealand butter, said Mr. Jennings, he must in strict fairness point out that it was no better than the finest quality of Australia. He had just been in Queensland, and what he had seen there convinced him that Australian butter had improved tremendously in quality during the last few years. His remarks about the Australian article were also true in a lesser degree of the butter that was now imported from Ireland.

"I was interested to sec the results of the grading of the foreign butters displayed at the Auckland Winter Show," said Mr. Jennings. "A point of some importai.ee to the English consumer whs brought out, a point that has probably escaped the notice of many people in New Zealand. The grading of this butter that had to make a six weeks journey to New Zealand was lower than it would have been had the grading been done in the country of origin. That is precisely the position of New Zealand butter in the Old Country, and it would be wise not to neglect that point in making ready your butter for export. The long journey of six weeks between the Dominion and England has a material effect even upon New Zealand's choicest butter. Because of the fact that Danish butter has such a short way to travel, its quality on the English market is still superior to that of the New Zealand butter—though not much." British Motor Cars. Speaking of the motor car industry, Mr. Jennings referred to the possible influence of the Ottawa Conference on the trade in manufactured articles between Britain and the Dominions', and said the British manufacturers looked for greater markets for such things as motor car.*. Great strides had been made in supplanting the American cars with British cars, and he hoped for further advance in that direction. The fact that the horse-power of a car was taxed in the Old Country meant the evolving of a smaller car, and so greater economy and cheaper running costs. Much had been said of the necessity for a higher horde-power to cope with the New Zealand roads. Recently he motored from Auckland to Rotorua and back, and had been informed that it was a typical example of the New Zealand highways. If that were true, ho had no hesitation in saying that the English light car would have no difficulty with its present engine power in making such a journey. The quality of the New Zealand eggs impressed Mr. Jennings, and he thinks there should be a definite market in Great Britain. Ho is negotiating to see whether eggs can be shipped from the Dominion to the Old Country to compete in price with those sent from South Africa. As a reminder of what good customers the people of Great Britain are for New Zealand produce, it may be mentioned that during his short stay in the Dominion Mr. Jennings has been negotiating for orders that run into some £70,000.