BUTTER ACCUMULATING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 162, 2 April 1908, Page 2

BUTTER ACCUMULATING.

OVER 1000 TOtta STORED. EQUAL TO THREE MONTHS' SUPPLY. EXPORTING FINISHED. • All danger of a butter famine is' over:. The Dairy Commissioner 'reports', that' at the. end of March the quantities of butter in cold store in New Zealand were is . follow (wo give also the figures for' last ".year) :— ' ■' : 1908. , 1907. Dunedin, Jcwt.i boxes '... 866 0 Lyttelton. Jcwt.'boxes ... : 328 1,57G 'Wellington, Jcwt. boxes... 10,249 . 15,453 •Patea, lewt. ! boxes ; 8.411- .. 2.425 New Plymouth .... ... 11,556 .18,364. Auckland ... ... 11,301 23.221' -V/ • " . 42,711 . 64,039 ' The ' 42,711 boxes represent over 1000 tons, and are equal to three months' local requirements.' The fact that this is. thirty per cent, less than the quantity in store at the. same period, of last -year rilUst not ■be given too inuch weight. , Last year 138,000 boxes wore exported during the winter.'. This year we may say that practically all the.butter produced, will be put upon/the 1 local market, betiiusO the difference between London' and local prices warrants it. The''New. Zealand consumers only ate about 80,000' boxes during the bis months of the winter, even when'the retail price was down. to ls. :ld. •If the price, as seems probable, continues higher than that figure, the quantity eaten may reasonably be less. In any case. 40,000 boxes more will bo sufficient to make up all tho butter wanted during tho winter. And it has' to be, remembered that there aW six months left'for producing this quantity. . Tet in the one month just closed our factories produced 67,000 boxes. The quantity is calculated as follows' :: '..v Exportecl per" Corinthic, Rr.a- ---: pehu, ; and . Arawa,' over ...- .33.500 boxes.; Consumed I .locally, about.,...' 12,500 boxes: I Stored/ (additional) ,:• V.. . 2l;000 boxes: / 67.000 boxes. It'is only necessary that half of this quantity should ,be produced during tho present month to give. .New . Zealand .all ..the'.;-butter she wants to eat and.i some to spare for oxport to pheaper markets. . In view of these facts), thoro is no. longer.;any 'tho present high prico,. and an early fall of . a few ' ponce may be locked for. -The wholesale prices ruling, here and :elsewhei'o .are as follow,:---. , '... . . '.

. Wellington ; ; .'.".5 ■ : : s.. 155 d. ] London, net-, under ........II- d: ■, : Sydney to4d. , '."Thus' the 1 Wellington citizen/is' paying-.50 % per cent. mftro. for ' his Gutter than the citizen of Sydney/'. l To maintain'' the: present 1 New Zealand price is to invite .competition 1 from 'Australia, where there, is- plenty; ofbutter, 1 - and- plenty of grass- to keep tlie supply going. '.-The. best? Australian butter can be landed in' New Zealand at ls; : Id. wholesale, the' charges. being i- 1 - ; Price in Sydney ... ' - ... . IOJd. .- : .Duty at -20 per cent-:, sAy- .i. 2d. ' Freight ,'- ... jd. , • Prii!6 to Wellington grocers Is. Id. . : '-The 10id.! paid in Sydney, is the price paid by the . grocer :to ..tho merchant. The. price paid by-. : th6' merchant, to .tho,- factory will be stillless, and it, which . "n\ay export to New Zealand.: The situation . is-.unplohsant,,..and itVia;obraously,\to: th 6 in-. ' 'tercst of- tho goattitfa'KetJ Jifealdfid producer that..the local price should, be immediately 1 drop'p^.'™The;stato. fi fi( .tlie 'ni&rlicts. ; does ■ Uiej:'pres'6ht the ' jsmajlriesfc of thoj local .output 'does not - jus.'.tily it,\/because, the real., producer _ lias not been' getting-,.the benefit, and' the ' price is tempting 'Australians!.to' regard, uv asi-a. dumping,-ground.;for-- their- surplus.: