DAIRY PRODUCE

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 65, 17 March 1934, Page 9

DAIRY PRODUCE

CAMPAIGN FOR SALES

LANCASHIRE LUNCHEON

NOT ENOUGH EATEN

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, February 8. A good start with the butter and cheese campaign in Lancashire was made at a luncheon at Manchester given by the New Zealand Dairy Board to Lancashire M.P.'s. Mr. H. E. Davis, London manager of the board, pointed out that although the increase in Empire supplies of butter during the past-war years had been remarkable, nothing like the same expansion had occurred in other dairy products, and the proportion of foreign to total imports was still 47 "per cent. New Zealand's imports of manufactured goods from .tho United Kingdom in the five- years 1923-27 was £.104,000,000, and in tho five years 1928-32 £80,000,000. ,: This, per, head of population'per annum, amounted to no less than £13 17s during the first period and £10 14s during the second. :"Not only are, we easily the highest per head purchasers of your manufactures, but in addition to this our products are carried to this country entirely, in British ships," he added, "and the work provided for the people of this country, in building-and maintaining these fleets, can perhaps be illustrated by the .fact, that today about 1.00,000 tons of new ships are < being built, in British shipyards, primarily for tlje New Zealand'trade. This, I believe, represents nearly one-third of the total tonnage now under construction in Great Britain." The whole financial structure of New Zealand, Mr. Davis said, was erected upon the fundamental principle of continued expansion. Wore a halt to be called now, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of farmers would find their hopes of ultimate success 'definitely ' destroyed. '. . - ; foeeign supplies. Until the financial collapse of 1929, marketing their rapidly increasing output of butter and cheese present few difficulties. People of Great Britain were supplied year by year with greater quantities of excellent food, commodities, at steadily .decreasing prices, and, more particularly since the slump, the plenitude, of supplies had. undoubtedly been of immense importance to those classes which had-been faced with considerable reductions in purchasing power. .."It would be "idle to deny that we should be delighted to see a higher level of prices for our. butter and cheese," he continued, "but our producers are carrying on. They feel that as valuable customers of British manufacturers they are entitled to make every effort to supply your requirements of dairy produce, and that the time to consider restriction does not arise while such a substantial proportion of your imports come from, foreign countries, whose producers do not reciprocate to anything like the same extent, and to' whom, you can never hope to turn to relieve you-of, any of your surplus population." AT -CROSS PURPOSES. Sir. Johri^Haslam, M.P., as one who had been very closely in ■ touch with the food distributing tr.ade, said that unquestionably the vast expansion of dairy production . within the Empire, particularly ; the development of the New Zealand, butter and cheese trade, had been a positive boon, to the working classes of Great Britain. Scientific -opinion was,- he thought, unanimous as to the nutritional value of butter and cheese, especially when they werV produced under the sunny conditions which favoured our Domiuions,,and the plenitude of these products would, ho believed, favourably affect, the physique and hea-lth of the - children of today. f'The question of over-supply of foodstuffs i& occupying an important! place in economic discussions just now,' 'continued Sir John, "but I cannot help being struck by this ■ extraordinary economic phenomenon that, after the Government has spent millions of pounds through the Empire Marketing Board in promoting the demand for Empire products, mainly foodstuffs, another Government Department is at the moment engaged in considering methods_ to reduce the intake of food^ stuffs, including those from Empire sources. And; by a very remarkable coincidence, a third. Government Department,' the Ministry, of Health,. is trying to solve .the problem of what is the minimum number of calories required 'to keep the human body: in health'and vigour. There seems to be something wrong. .'..'■-:'. ..; ■•• '•■.-.. !:■, INCREASING. CONSUMPTION. ' "We who are in contact. with the great industrial communities of the north may very well question , the wisdom of cutting down our food supplies; especially' dairy products, which play such an important part in the physical, development of children. Notwithstanding expansion in production in recent years, our consumption of dairy products is still remarkably small,, having regard to their value, namely, butter about 12o? per head per week, cheese about 6oz per head per week,, and; fresh milk about two-fifths of a pint per head per day. Surely, with the prospect of better trade and increased purchasing power,v there is scope for a national effort,to increase the consumption of these commodities while, as far as may be, diverting the demand, from foreign' to Empire products.^' Captain E, A. Spencer, M.P., Major Procter, M.P., Mr. E. C. Esssenhigh M.P.; Mr.-A. C. Crossley, M.P., and Mr. F. J. • West, of- the ' Manchester Ship Canal Company, all made brief speeches, in the course of which generous tributes were: made to the outstanding quality of New/Zealand butter and its growing recognition in the north.'