DAIRY. PRODUCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 729, 31 January 1910, Page 8

DAIRY. PRODUCE.

■ 'The Minister 'for.' Industries . nal Commerce is in receipt, .of a: report from the New Zealand Government Produce Commissioner in London, dated December 10, 1909,' on the dairy produce-'".'! market,. as follows:— . " ■ . The dairy produce ex s.s. Buapehu has been on the market this week. From this boat thero were landed 31,553 boxes of bnttcr and-7439 crates of. cheese. ' Both

butter and:cheese wero delivered in fjood order and condition. I havo examined a good many, parcels of each, and have found tho quality to be perfectly satisfactory. Merchants; express particular satisfaction with the Quality of the butter, which, as' in the case of tho two ■preceding shipments, they Bay shows a considerable advanco on that of the early shipments received last year.. The opinion regarding the cheese, >however, is not so unanimous. The old complaint of want of .maturity, or. "greenness," is .heard, .although it is generally conceded that, compared with the early shipments of two years ago, there is cousiderablo improvement.

' During the past two weeks' prices for butter havb been steadily receding.. Tho increasing supplies of. the colonial articlo which, during November, show a growth of 34,586cwt. as compared with the corres- . ponding month of last year, together with increased .supplies . from Denmark of 8610cwt., havo strongly affected the market for choicest quality. .The depression has not, however, been 'eo severely felt for secondary qualities, of which all along there have been.much larger supplies from which buyers could choose, and for'which prices wero moderate.;. Buyers of choicest butters, in which, of .course, is included New Zealand,' havo been holding off tho market, buying from hand to-mouth as required," -and pricesj- have receded for, New' Zealand butter from 120s: to' 112s. per cwt.. With the prospect, of heavy, shipments coming forward for somo time; those handling New. Zealand•.- and; Aus-' tralian butter here aro not disposed to miss any opportunity, of effecting sales at tho prices now ruling, ami buyers, therefore can afford; to assume an, attitude of indifference., Present. prices are,',of course, good, and.'as' trado is likely to continue satisfactory at ,least until Christmas, there is every .prospect that no-.further reduction '.will have'- to be mado until' after the • New Ye.ar. The , anticipation, however, is that then lower prices .may havo to be accepted. , :"

.The cheese'market'.continues'• quiet. Although there has been a fairly steady: ti'ado passing' at about 355. per cwt; • for New. Zealand -cheese, :565;- per:,.cwt. is obtainable'for a, few of the finest brands if white, .but as low as 545. has .had,, to bo accepted for somo of the poorer .makes, especially' if coloured .cheese, of which there is a supply rather in excess of-pre-sent requirements. I am informed on the market that this season Now Zealand factories have reversed. the position, { azd are shipping rather.-more coloured than white cheese. - 1 am of opinion,, froni all I can gather, that cheese-' will' not; ■'■•' decrease much, if at all, in price.'.l think that from, 545. to ; 565., per cwt, according to quality' and colour, is likely to bo the .value ruling for It. ■:'. Canadian cheese is at present fetching up.to, 58s. per cwt. for finest quality,, and-it is estimated that the stock of' Canadian,-on": hand on Decomber 1 in store at London, Liverpool, and. Bristol,. amounted to ,419,000 .boxes.. Like the buyers of butter, purchasers of 'cheese, are very chary, in laying in stocks; They anticipate a large increase in-arrivals from New Zealand, "and; consequently, keep'; off:- the market as .much^as.possible// Cablegrams that have' been; received:-.and that: are published: in tho: trade. papers, indicating record: shipments of v butter, _,frpm .(.Australia, :;and .increased."shipments'."-of' 'both butter .and :chcesofrom'New Zealand, havo' been exorcising >.considerable influence' on': retailers throughout the country,'who; on this, account,.;have not,.been making- extensive .forward, purchases- for: their.'.ro quircments' as : in- previous years.- v '■'■:'■