REDUCTION IN BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 167, 8 April 1908, Page 2

REDUCTION IN BUTTER.

A PENNY DROP. . VIEWS OF OTHER CITIES.. FURTHER FALL LIKELY. ' '.- The reduction in tho price of butter is general in Wellington, all IKK best-known brands soiling ijow at Is. 4d. retail. A further slight fall may still be expccted. Several . brands of factory butter nro being offered bt Is. 31d. retail, arid Wellington is evidently just "now .the best centre for outi side factories to exploit. t i In Dimedin, according to a Press' Association message, the price cf butter is 'unchanged. It is Is. lid. wholesale,- and Is. 3d. It is iiot. considered likely there that these - prices will, change. s ; An Inspired View from Auckland. . \ Our Auckland correspondent telegraphs "The Wellington quotation, for butter has for some time past been higher than that I ruling in Auckland. Tho all-round'decline of Id. per pound,, therefore; brings the southern; price' very little lower than tho present quotation libro. Some relief was afforded by tho genial * weather conditions which prevailed) ' the end of last month, and the production all over the North'lsland.received a considerable stimulus. In tho opinion of a gentleman identified with tho butter trade'in Province, the reduction in Welling'ton was arranged whilo the full'advantage of the increased make was being realised. Tho brief spell of favourable'weather,, and the consequent improvement in tho milk supply, also mado it appear possible that, a reduction might be effected in Auckland, but the sudden cold change of the last few days precludes the likelihood ! of . this being realised.- The. output will be still further restricted, and as the: quantity" in cold storage is' 1 -very- small, for this time of the' year butter is likely to be in short supply right, through tho winter. Another • well-known butter merchant, in referring to tho subject,pointed.out that- the'reduction in Wellington o'nly brings the southern price to an equivalent of that now''ruling in, Auckland. The merchant in quostion anticipates, very , little variation ono way or : the other in the Auckland quotation. \Some alarm, )ie, points out, was occasioned by the fapt that 16,000 v boxes, which were' intended for,ycxport, had to- be' retained in the Dominion, but after the bulk of' this ha.s_ been disposed- of v.the market will,' in his opinion, sottli down. ,It is impossible to say what the'April-May output is g«'\.ig' 'to> be, but the cold onaji in the-Auckland, and Taranaki Provinces will have a deteriorating effect." . ' Apparently the'. Aucklanders are still hampered by exaggerated. .Hews as to the quantity of--butter to be available, for the winter.. They 'strangely! lose..'sight, of the fact that already the cold stores of the Dominion hold more 'than. three months.'' supplies for the whole of the inhabitants. It )Vremarkable, that tho .centres' which bav.e' the greatest quantities of butter on their hands profess to hold the most • extreme alarm as to the probable shortage. ' Observe these figures:— Merchant's idea of Bcses Stored. . Retail Value. , Dunedin ... 806 Is. 3d. ' •' Auckland ... 11,301 Is. 4d. ' • ■ ■Wellington 10,249. Is. 4d. (just'" ' . reduced) The total quantity in store at the end of March was 42,711 and tho' total additional quantity wanted till, tho end of Septomber is about 38,C00 -boxes/ Vlll this .he produced?"'lf tlio-ireports''■th'at-liavo come in from ;several qijju-to'rs. ar'p. an'ythingjiko accurate, it will | "b'o'';''pfod'uco3''6m t '''amf' over again.■' rThoso'reports are to the effect,that, yields of milk, have ..since the rain by 10 per cent., and tho tests have improved. Even if tho yield we're stationary,'April's output alone would he .67,000/ boxes, for that;'was_the, output last-month. ,All the evidence av.'/ilable goes to confirm the view that those factories will: he wisest who continue to put their butter upon tho market- at the earliest possible 1 opportunity, rather than : holdi baok Wn the shadowy <hope of 1 a 1 rise later on, whilo otho'rs are getting all the benefit from the priccs no?; ruling. , Our special Duiiedin correspondent l teleAs to the reduction in the price •of butter telegraphed \from| Wellington, inquiries:' mado in Dunedin .go', to show 'that thorp will uot. bo any alteration in the present. priebvof ..Is. 3d.- per 'lb. retail,.;and Is. ,lscl. per lb. wholesale. . Tho Wellington price right through the '.summer'"has ! been 2d. per lb. more than that asked by the Dunedin dealers It will have to come back' another penny before it' equals ours."