BUTTER SHIPMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 111, 7 November 1906, Page 8

BUTTER SHIPMENTS.

♦ BIG INCREASES AND GOOD PROSPECTS. THE IONICS CARGO. Enquiries made by a Post reporter to-day^ go to show that the shipments of batter for this season so far have exceeded those of last year by a substantial margin, and 1 if present indications can be reUed on to any extent the dairy farmers have a profitable year in prospect. In Auckland the increases in output have been particularly marked. At the end of last week the quantity in cold store for shipment for the fortnight was 10,524 boxes, or 263 tons. Of ihis lot the s.s. lonic is taking 10,192 boxes for London, the s.s. Waimate 197 boxes foT London, and! 135 boxes are to go by the Federal Line to the West of England. For the corresponding period of last year tiie shipment was 6284 boxes. For ' the present season to date the export has t>sen 25,924 boxes, as compared with 13,795 boxes to the same date of last season, an increase of 12,129 boxes, or 303 tons. Similarly healthy increases are reported here in Wellington. Mr. J. G. Harkness, secretary of the National Dairy Association, stated to a member of our staff this morning that the Karamea had Teached Home with the firat shipment of this season's butter, and prices were , quoted at 116s per cwt. Thisr -was 6s - to 7s better than the prices ruling at the corresponding period last year. The season, of course, is only in its infancy, but up to the time of the sailing of the Waima-te the shipments of dairy produce from New Zealand were -ahead of those of 1905 — in respect of cheese about 4000 cases and in Tespect of butter about 8000 boxes better. The shortage of butter which was very much in evidence some time ago is now only a memory. Dairy fanners, Mr. Harkness stated, have a remarkably good year in prospect—the only thing that would bring failure now would be a drought. In Taranaki there is an abundance of feed at present, and good returns are reported irom the various factories. The lonic's cargo of dairy produce will consist of the following cargoes (approximately) from the various ports in New Zealand named : —

luckland few Plymouth .vttelton 'at*a )anedin Wellington Butter. ... 9,235 . . 9,341 ... 1,428 ... 2,560 ... 5,742 Oheese. 267 490 59 1,202 Totals ... ... 28,306 2,018