BUTTER FIGURES

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 2

BUTTER FIGURES

THE WINTER SUPPLY. ' CAN IT BE ESTIMATED? " . A gentleman in tho butter • trade remarked to a Dominion representative yesterday that if anyone. could tell him how much butter-would bo available for the local market during the coming winter,: it would be worth money to him: The' remark seems to fit exactly the present situation. Nobody knows how much butter tho cows are going to yield; nobody even knows exactly how. much butter is stored away. \ Much of the estimating must be guess work. Evert the figures supplied by. toe Government of the amounts of butter in store each month have to be based partly on figures supplied voluntarily by tho owners of the stores in which • tho butter lies. The official figures, therefore, . merely represent the - amount stored, as. accurately as -it can be ascertained. Some factories have their own cold stores, although these are not often made use- of for the wintersupply, even the largest factories finding that butter keeps best when stored for them by people who make si special business of cold storage.. Thus it may bo concluded that the butter that is not stored at Auckland, New Plymouth, I'atea, "Wellington, Christchurch, and Duncdin need scarcely ,be counted. At the end of February tho butter, reported, as stored amounted to over 21,000 boxes.! Storing will certainly be persevered with at every available opportunity," and it will bo interesting to see. at tho end of this month how much, butter the factories and .merchants have managed to put, by., Nearly all the exporting contracts will, expire by tho end, 6f this month, and from that time onward it is reasonable to count on an entire stoppage of exporting. The only possibility suggesting'.itself against .this'.'view. i 6 that firms which contracted for a certain supply up to the end of March may insist on theAhortage being made up afterwards. That, however, is not generally considered likely. Several interesting questions then arise. How much butter was exported last year after. March? How much will this 'year.-be available for , retention., in the Dominion? Last year's .winter, exports, v and: those, in tho previous winter, are here stated , . ; .. ' 1907. -, 1906. ' • • ' 1 Boxes. Boxes. - ; April ... / . ... ... ! 40,282 49,112 May - ... . ... ... . 43,874 "• 24,316 June ...I v... 33,326 5,138 ; July .... : ... ' ... . 9,958 " 2,632 ' August ... ... 3,642 2,142 ; September ... . ... 7,898 . 2,622' Totals . '85,962 \ Thus New Zealand' exported last : winter Considerably more butter than the local peoplo consumed. It is estimated that the people of New Zealand will eat during the next' six . months—if they can. afford-.' it—about 100,000 boxeS of butter.' If, therefore, the supply of, butter from the dairy farms during the winter should bo .reduced. to : onehalf of last, year's, output, there will- still be ample butter left.. for,. this; local needs, oven if calculated. on tho amount consumed when the ; retail i—ico"was Is; Id. -Will the Cbw3 produce ; one-half their' usual quantity? The' reports from ; the ' country districts havo been' rather conflicting,, and' som'e'allowance must be made for tho anxiety naturally felt ■while-'the drought was raging. Feed is now becoming more plentiful; and although' an increased yield is ' not to bo expected, there is • a probability that 'tho - present' output will be maintained for some months to come. The last three, fortnightly shipments of butter from Welliiigfoivpoft from -all parts have been : v ■

.'■ \' V '• :• ; ; ' Coses. ■ Corinthic ■ ■ ' 18,610 • Ruapehu (March '■ 12)' . B,COO ' Arawa (to-morrow), estimated:;. ':6,000- ! ; ! .• :Of the. A'rawa's -consignment .Wellington contributes 715 boxes, as agMn.Bfc.l674 .boxes at a corresponding date , of'.last year. Tho decrease, however, may"'be partly, due to inoreased .storing in. the case of firms not under contract. ; • -'. . '