LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2474, 29 May 1915, Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

OUR BUTTER EXPORT. Eii, —In some of tho leading Scotch newspapers, including "The Scotsman" and "The Glasgow Citizen," there recently appeared the following lottcr written by Mr. P. Jeffrey Macfcio, tho well-known and prominent distiller. As the subject upon which Mr. Mackie touches is of considerable concern to both settlors and merchants in this Dominion, I will ask you to be good enough to reproduce his utterance in your columns in full text: — "NEW ZEALAND BUTTER. "(To the Editor of 'The Scotsman.') "Sir, —The other day I was muoh struck with tho fine quality of tie butter which was put before me, aaid as I have a small homo dairy for our own use, 1 asked if it came from there, and was told no—that it was New Zealand butter. I found that the price ranked with that of Danish butter, which is of a very high grade, and after two or three days' trial, I gave orders that the New Zealand butter should for the future be served upstairs, instead of that from our own dairy. "The moral to be drawn is a seri- ■ ous warning to our. home buttermakers to both organise and specialise, or they may be crying out in a few years about having lost the trade, not through the Germans. but through our own colonies. "I do not grudge New Zealand the trade, especially when she has won it by quality, and I think that. now those who buy. Danish and ■ other foreign butters might to their advantage patronise New Zealand butter. The dealings of Denmark with Germany in the past have not been quite satisfactory to us. while New Zealand has nobly come to our aid both with her navy and her men, and patriotism is entitled to a reward in these times.—l am, etc., "P. JEFFREY MACKIE. "Symington, Kilmarnock, "Scotland, March 16, 1915." I. might add that since this letter appeared in the Home papers there has reached me 'a personal communication from Mr. Peter Jeffrey Mackie, wherein the matter is further discussed. He mentions that in originally writing to the Press he was anxious to assist New Zealand by giving an impetus to the demand for butter from that Dominion. I am also inclined to think that he naturally considered that there would ba a recompense at his end in the reciprocal trade which would be encouraged. He realised that Denmark was deriving a very large revenue from her butter, while British-made butter was not used to anything like the extent it ; might. It is instructive to learn that aB a result of Mr. Mackie's correspondence in the newspapers he was quite unable to get fresh supplies of New Zealand butter the following week—the stock had entirely run out, and none was procurable. Mr. Mackie adds that quality will always tell in the long run. He feels convinced that the well-de-served tribute which he has paid , to New Zealand butter, has not been without its effect upon consumers in his vicinity. He is quite sure that the demand for our admirable'product will steadily increase.—l am, etc., CHARLES EEuTES. Wellington, May 25, 1915.