BUTTER PRICES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 187, 2 May 1908, Page 8

BUTTER PRICES.

AUCKLANDGRS CLIMBING DOWN. INFLATED PROPHECIES DISCOUNTED. Auckland, May i. ! ' The high price of butter! during reccnt months has greatly .exorcised'the minds of householders (says our Auckland correspondent), and the. reduction to 15.13 d. peiv lb. will be appreciated by the consumbr. It .is many years since the price of butter , has,; been so high as Is.' 4d. per ,Ib. in tlia .early "autumn months. It is now definitely known that the supply will 'bo quite sufficient for the winter. j • : ■ Accumulations. j . ; A • telegram published hero on Tuesday stated that the Southern'"cities .-wero meeting with competition'from this city, and as a result of inquiries on the matter somo interesting statements were ; obtained. It seemed to be an anomaly that butter hero should be at a high price,'; while Dunedin firms were selling at a penny a lb. less to keep Auckland competitors out of the field. An inquiry made at tho Auckland Freezing Works revealed tho fact "that; the supply of butter had increased considerably during the past week or so. On Friday Mast tho' supply in cool storago was 17,491 hoses. On Tuesday. it was" 17,897 boxes. The supply at the stores had. increased for the'rweek ending on Friday last by'l4B4'boxcs.jThus. ; thoro : was an ( inerease> for ten day's oi no fewer than 1890 boxes. This would indicate .that Auckland at least is'not suffering from a butter famine, and it was inevitable that the high price ruling must decline. ■ j Took Advantage of,the Panic. , The manager of one of the leading firms who handle butter here said that-tlie'Taieri and Peninsula .Company haid a monopoly of ■the trade in Dunedin,'and were' thus able to control. prices. The Dominion, markets had been in a'very disturbed state, and the Taieri Company was one of tho few which did not take advantage of the' pailic. .Early in tlie year tho condition of tho [market was' such that, a further fall in price was probable. There was a certain' amount of butter' going south to Christcliurch/buti Duiicdiu'a policy had excluded northern'supplies from getting a footing there. j ■ • Cheaper Yet. 1 /! . Mr. Longnet, manager tor .Messrs. A. S. Patorson'aud Co., when approached, said ho was of the opinion that butter would probably drop again in jrice, but that toward the end of' the-winter it would rise. The situation in March' placed tho trado in a peculiar position,, and with many factories closing.tho prospects for;the winter wore not bright. '-.Tho, heavy rains'. 6f<'xMarcK had improved .matters, and-when lie was in Tara- . riaki recently, feed was Very abundant, and tho. country, was. looking ;in its best conditions The choose factory owners 'were diverting 'their attention''from cheese to butter,' • and therefore supplies were coming forward freely. j : ' '.''" : Some Interesting. Points. %' ■ A gontleman with English, oriiiil,. .'experience,- said that/ 'Auckland must always export to tlio South at" 'al' advantago, for tho week's. l ipurnoy..'in. the' coastal steamer,, affected the "consignment. His" firm had exported parcels to .Dunedin, but tho trade was very small. . .Speaking of New Zealand butter.pn "the.J^ondon;markot,- ho. said prime "New" Zealand factory buttor 'wus sold to clubs'and the upper classes at 2s/ Gd. a pound. Tlio'best of New Zealand butter was quite beyond the reach (and tasto) of Londoner. - Blenders used it and milk, thus producing an article to the taste and within tho reach of the poorer., classes. 100,000 Boxes Stored. , Mr;, Jamc? It. Scott,' New, Zealand representative 'of the London firm of Treng'roiise and Coi, 'and secretary of the National Dairy Association of the South Island, is at present in Auckland.. Mr. jScott was tlio first. expoitor of butter from -the Dominion to London'by.the .'ship City of Dunedin in 1883, and he also oarned for the Edendale Factory .tlie'- £500'. Government, bonus , for (tlio first export 'shipment of 50 tons of cheeso to London.'-He considered -that" at' the end'Of, this month fully '100,000' boxes of butter would' bo~ in reserve in the Dominion. He: had' only to mention that in March and April of 1907, about 50,000 .'boxes were- sent home, whereas in the same' months of tl)is year'only about 9,000 were sent, the balance being piled up in cool stores.- This meant that at the end of the winter a lot'of stale butter would be sent on to the London market. • The curious position in Auckland was that, all local butter was ■ being stored while Tarainaki was supplying.the demand for lo.cal consumption. ■ ■ , A Ridiculous Price, v , Tho price in Auckland was ridiculous, ho said. The local price of butter should not at any time be much above''London parity. '. ; The high price ruling in',London,- Mr!' Scott said,- had done more harm- thair -good,, for they had forced peoplo who we're being educated to the taste of Colonial-butter bacTv to margarine. It was rathor a quaint fact that a lot of margarine was iiow being manufactured in Now Zealand, a number of experts having been brought out for the purpose of making:"neutralised" tallow-or :oleo, which