THE BUTTER TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 12, 14 July 1938, Page 12

THE BUTTER TRADE

LATVIAN COMPETITION

The London "Evening Standard" reports a new form of competition in the provision trade. The journal states that some producers of butter, bacon, and cheese with large export connections to Great Britain, are operating, on the selling floor in London as wholesale merchants. "Apart from some New Zealand and Australian concerns which have recently, formed companies Ito sell provisions in this country," states the "Standard," "there is now a merchant firm whose interests are almost entirely Latvian. This company has a comparatively small capital which is mainly held by Latvians. The company sells Latvian butter and bacon at highly-competitive rates both to the wholesale and retail stores over here, in spite of the 'Gentlemen rs Agreement' in force among importers in England which was adopted by most exporting countries. "Apart from the indignation which has been aroused in the trade by this trend of events,'it is felt that the removal from British hands of a large section of the supply trade would be extremely serious in the event of war. It is this aspect of the case in particular which the Government is-likely to examine and members of the London Provision Exchange hope that an impartial judgment on the question will result in a check to suppliers entering the London selling floor."