THE BUTTER TRADE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3172, 24 August 1917, Page 6

THE BUTTER TRADE

GOVERNMENT TO BUY THE OUTPUT -AND SERVE LOCAL MARKETS \ >'_A conference between the Prime Minis•■ter and; representatives of tho butter ■ l-producers was held yesterday afternoon "to consider matters of vital importance to the': dairy l farmers. The Press was not admitted. The producers offered to Bell the whole of the coining season 1 ? ..output to the Government at Is. sd. per . -i lb., the Government taking the responsibility of getting tho butter to tho English market. .The dairy farmers are keenly alive to the difficulty of securing shipping space for their butter, and fully ~ realise the advantage of an arrangement ' which .would give them a fair price ,- wnile'placing the risk as far as sea'carriage is concerned on the shoulders of : ' the Government. Mr. Massey said tho Government would ' be prepared to rpay Is. 3d. per lb., and ,_ to hand over any profits arising from the sale of tho buttor-in Britain to tho producors after deducting any loss on sales in New Zealand, his idea being that the cost to New Zealand consumers should jiofc be more than Is. 7d. or Is.. Bd. The . farmers' representatives did not consider Is. 3d. a fair price and objeoted to the ' suggested deductions from profits. After further discussion Mr. Massey increased his offer to Is. H., but would not agree to mako good local losses out of the public funds; The producers decided to take time to consider the.Prime Minis- , , v ter's offer, ■ Kis understood that the butler pro- ■ ducers' representatives decided last nignt bv a large majority to accept the Prime .minister's proposal.