ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8962, 28 November 1894, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

(FROM ODE SOCIAL-oim___6.._)_^_.. LONDON., October 19. Wonderful to relate, the Standard has a -word of praise for New Zealand ! It commends the Government for being "alive to the importance ol removing from tne colony the stigma that hss been cast upon tiie quality of the dairy produce exported from that country by the shipping of large quantities of inferior butter and some unsatisfactory cheese." I. regards the Dairy Industry Bill as a judicious measure.

With reference to the action taken by the New Zealand Government as to technical education in dairy work with the object of " helping the farmers of New Zealand to do what the agriculturists of Canada have already achieved," the Bristol Press says :— "The movement ia one which the British farmer can scarcely be expected to regard with equanimity. It seems that a beginning is made with the training of one more competitor in the Home markets, for the steamship service between New Zealand and the Mother Country is now much better than it was, and produce even of the comparatively perishable kind can be conveyed from Wellington or Dunedin to London in a perfectly fresh and marketable condition." Opinions continue to differ as to the merits aid quality of the New Zealand butter exhibited officially by the Produce Commissioner, Mr C. R. Valentine, at last week's dairy show.' But the trade organ the Dairy is very complimentary. It says :

—"Both the cheese and the butter are of very fine quality in condition, colour, texture, and flavour, aud one characteristic, especially noticeable in the cheese, is the great resemblance to the flavour of English make, which is chiefly due to being produced under similar condition. as to climate and herbage." It adds :—" Samples of New Zealand eondensed milk are shown, and the quality quite equals the best brands of Swiss milk."

But " doctors differ." The Morning Post, after remarking that the quality of the English butter and cheese shown was vastly superior to that oi any previous dairy show in England, say3, "It was reassuring to know how far it excelled the samples of Australian and New Zealand produce shown side by side wibh it in this respect."

Many good judges, however, hold thab the butter shown was nob ab all a fair sample of New Zealand's produce, and that had really first-class specimens been selected they would have held their own with auy competitors from any part of bhe world. Ib is nob for me to pick oub particular brands, but as a simple chronicler of fact, I have often heard Messrs Reynolds' Waikato butter mentioned as the sort that should have been shown.

Complaint is made that at the recent wool sales so large a proportion of faulty and inferior wool was offered. This not only itself fetched lower prices, bub also had a generally depressing influence upon the progress of the sales. A good many of the foreign buyers were so much dissatisfied with the prevalent poor quality that they left the sales and the reduced attendance was accompanied by slower bidding. This affected even the superior wools, of which there was a considerable quantity. Considering the bad effect which such a tendency to "aloofness" always has on a sale, it is consoling thab prices did nob actually recede in the better classes. But there is little doubt that the tendency to advance noticeable in the earlier sales 5 per cent, in some cases might have been maintained or improved. The excessive proportion of poor qualities and the manifest careless sorting in many cases tended to send prices down, and they fell accordingly _d to l_d per lb for the faulty lots. Good crossbreds, however, reached _1 higher, being readily bought by tbe home trade, and buyers from Germany aud America competed vigorously for fine merinos, which showed a similar advance, and a little more in a few instances.

In two respects, apart from the quality of the wool, the sales have been disappointing. One disappointment has beeu the absence of any favourable influence on prices as a result of the admission of free wool into the United States. The other has been the absence of French demand, 'due to the heaviness of stocks already held in France, and to the unsatisfactory state of French trade. Ib is hoped, nevertheless, that the beneficial effects of the American tariff reform will be experienced later, and that as French stocks become reduced France will again be a large customer.

A remarkable "corner" in wool was executed some years ago by a French woollen manufacturer who ha3 just died— M. Wattine, of Roubaix. He organised a secret syndicate of Roubaix merchants, Bent capable brokers to all parts of the wool-growing world, including, of course, Australia and Now Zealand, with directions to lie perdu until they received instructions by cable ' code. On a certain day M. Wattine cabled his order, and the brokers bought up all the wool they could get hold of, spending twelve millions sterling and getting it cheaply for cash. The purchasing syndicate handled the wool so skilfully that they realised a net profit of £1,200,000 on the vast transaction.

Frozen meat ia looking rather better this week. Gradually the huge stocks which had accumulated are being cleared off, and lighter shipments of New Zealaud muoton are now coming, so that ib is hoped there will no longer be a glut when the new season begins. Finest New Zealand mutton is quoted at 2|d to 3d.

The day before yesterday was held the tenth annual meeting of Dalgety and Co., Limited, Mr E. T. Doxat, the newlyappointed Chairman, presiding. The year's profit was stated to be £80,913, and there was a credit balance of £5383 from last year. Of this total £40,000 was appropriated to payment of an 8 per cent, dividend, the balance being carried forward. Ib was explained by the Chairman thab although the present Company started ten years ago with a perfectly clean sheet iu respect of old accounts, these being practically guaranteed by the old firm, the Directors had written down durin~ the ten years no less than £551,072 off the value of the Company's securities. Further, it had been their rule to decline all risky business—many accounts declined by them being eagerly snapped up by competitors. Mr Doxat pointed out that what had necessitated this large writing down was partly the peculiarity of the Australian climate, with its alternate droughts aud floods, which often upset the most careful calculations, and partly the depreciation in the value alike of land, of produce, and of stock. Wool, which in 1872 averaged £26 10s per bale, in 1884 £16. and last year £12 6. Bd, was only worth £11 10s this year. Wheat had fallen to a price never before even dreamed of, and tallow, hides, and most other„ produce were at or close upon lowest record values. Thus the earnings of the business had not increased proportionately with its largely augmented volume, but it had been conducted on thoroughly safe and careful lines.

Raising the question whether Australia and New Zealand can compete successfully with the Argentine, Canada and the United States as producers, Mr Doxat remarked that the colonists themselves professed to have little doubt on that subject, bub ib would require much efforb and wise Government, strict economy and hard work. Ia future the dividends will be paid by Dalgety and Co. in May and November instead of in April and October, as it is found almost impossible to get their ac-. counts properly made up in time for the; earlier periods. The retiring Directors and Auditors were re-elected, and the usual votes of thanks were passed. I learn that' lively interest continues to be manifested by the trade in the specimens of New Zealand timber brought aud shown by Mr Preyberg, and that there is every likelihood of a keen demand and a profitable trade. Prompt and practical steps ought at once to be token in New. Zealand toplace a good shipment of timbers on the London market. Judiciously managed the New Zealand timber trade has so promising a future before it that I believe the day will come when settlers will lament every stick they have burned of wood which is so lucratively saleable an article in London.

Talking over last week's Dairy Show with various experts, I do not not, gather that there was much to be gleaned in tbe way of practical instruction for New Zea'and dairy farmers. Bradford's fish back churn seems to have been the chief novelty, and Mr Valentine does not appear to approve that. Its special merit is its rapidity of action as it mokes the butter »• come" in 7min' or

Slllin instead __si__n or _om_n. But he deems fc___-_.ti very _-___i_xflicy __i______ _■___-_____ t_•_■ to the qxraJity- of the res ill ta.rit. batter. of fusts Mr YthiotfM nvi. Aew Zealand is not at all behind England in the way of improved machinery, but keeps well up to date and ahead of the Mother Country in. all these improvements.

sterilised milk was a feature of the show which £ s likely to come more and more into note in these anti-microbe days. The sterilising process seems to be very simple and inexpensive.