COMPETITION

Evening Post, Volume 105, Issue 4, 6 January 1928, Page 10

COMPETITION

ARGENTINE DAIRYING Mr. .1. A. O'Callaghan, former Commonwealth Dairy Commissioner, now working in the Argentine, reports that far from there being a conspiracy, as has been suggested in Australia^ between British merchants and Argentina butter interests against Australia, England is to a large extent being left out in the cold in the dairying sphere, owing to the greater enterprise of other nations. Dutch cattle, for instance, are going to the Argentine in large numbers regularly, and are pushing the British Shorthorn off the dairy map in some of the best dairying districts. "A long and serious drought, which Argentine stock farmers met without crying out to the world that they were in danger of being ruined, has just ended." A result of that dry period is that from Ist January, 1927, to the end of October the Republic has exported less than half the quantity of butter shipped for the same months last year. BEEF AND BUTTER. "With shorter production beef naturally has gone up in price very materially. This advance will cause landowners to continue to concentrate on beef production, with, in my opinion, a consequent setback to dairy development. Argentine butter factories, nevertheless, are rapidly being brought up to date. First-class pasteurising machinery will be met with before the end of the year in every factory. Creameries or milk separating stations arc also pushing back the private -separator movement. As a consequence, more good cream is being produced and also dispatched more regularly to central butter factories. All this goes to facilitate the production of a high-class butter. NEW ZEALAND CONTROL. "The attitude of New Zealand last season, in its endeavour to control butter prices in England, gave Argentine butter an opening to many a house that had not previously used it," states Mr. O'Callaghan. Having greatly improved the standard of quality, manufacturers were in a position to create a good impression, which is being well maintained. THE COMING TEST OF PRICES. "I txpect that next January will see Argentine butter on its trial, when it has to be free from preservative," writes Mr. O'Callaghan. "The difficulty here is to get any butter-box timber without injurious odours, and even Scandinavian pine, which is largely used, is apt to taint the surface of the butter. Consequently, butter without preservative is the more easily oxidised and tainted. With the probability, too, of a rising wage for the worker, the cost of production tends to increase. Hence, Argentina must get Australian prices for butter in London or suffer in the competition. Personally. I see no reason why Argentina should not get Australian, or even New Zealand, prices, now that the butter is on a parity as regards quality, and is only 18 days from London as ( against Australia s 30 days."