DAIRYING INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 20, 24 January 1913, Page 3

DAIRYING INDUSTRY

ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN THE SOUTH. (BY TELEGRAPH—- PRfeSS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, 23rd Jan. The annual conference of the Sonth Island Dairy Association was held at Lyttelton to-day. The Chairman (Mr. John Grey, of Mataura) said the position in regard to the industry thi6 year was very peculiar. Factories, especially cheese factories, had been paying out more than they now expected to get for their produce unless there was a big improvement in the market. The shortage at Home was a big one, even on last yearns figures, so that there was yet hope ,in. that connection. A cable, he had received from London was as follows: "Cheese meeting decided to hold' for 60s minimum price on strength of statistical position of New Zealand, also Canadian and Home sup* 1 ply. Expect that spot prices can be raised to 6le immediately. Strongly recommend factories to continue consigning. Prospects improved all round. - February arrivals less than last ye»V He did not think that even the prospects' held out by cable would fclear the southern factories. Mr. -J. Barn&tt, Tat Tapu, eaid he had recently travelled for three weeks through the North Island, and he had been, delighted with the prospects of the dairy industry tnere.' Mr.' W. ' Bolt, representing the National Dairy Association of New Zealand, said that a peculiar position was i arising in the dairying 1 industry. In' the [ past the efforts of the dairy companies, backed up by the splendid assistance of the Government, had raised New Zea* land right up to the top of the markets, but he 'thought that the development of home separators was going to make a certain amount of trouble amongst dairy farmers by doing away- to a large extent with co-operation. New Zealand butter had been fetching 3s per'ewt more than the Australian article, which was largely due to growth of home separators. Mr. Bdlt quoted figures to show that several consignment* of home separator butter from the northern Auckland districts had realised prices in London very little short of those obtained for shipments of butter from one of the best and most j up-to-date factories in the Wellington district. The Chairman remarked that the Competition of ' home separator • butter was now so etrong .that ho thought that the Government graders must give it a superfine grade. Mr. C. ' Ferrier said that this was the first year in which all southern factories | were .represented in the association. He was in a position to state that there had not been a single complaint during the past year regarding the state of butter and cheeee shipped. He had been assured by others, and he was himself certain, that Lyttelton offered advantages as a port of shipment for dairy produce that could not be equalled anywhere in the world. Mr. C. H. Clabbota said that it w,&s ' the board's chief concern, to study the interests of the dairy industry. He quoted figures showing the growth of the export ' of butter and of cheese from the South Island during 1912. The quantity of butter handled by ihe board's cool store for shipment from Lyttelton was 35,720 boxes as compared with 15,638 boxes during 1911.