QUALITY WANTED

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXV, Issue 12912, 14 July 1936, Page 7

QUALITY WANTED

N.Z. BUTTER AND CHEESE. HOW THE FARMER WILL BE ENCOURAGED. SUBDIVISION OF GRADES. PAYMENTS ABOVE AND BELOW GUARANTEED PRICE. (Press Association f WELLINGTON, July 13. Price margins fixed by the Government in respect of different grades cl butter and cheese purchased by it for export under the guaranteed prices plan were announced by Mr Duncan, Acting-Director of Marketing, to-dav. Tho Government, lie said, desired to maintain and improve the quality ol New Zealand butter and cheese, and it had decided, by means of a system o! differential price margins based ~u quality, to encourage production of the best types of both commodities. The fixing of constant margins aimed at providing, a more distinct and tangible incentive to quality production. It had been decided, lie continued, that grades should remain as at present, but that in addition to the fixation of price margins for differem grades, differential prices should Infixed for higher and "lower scoring cheese and creamery butter in finest and first grades. There was a range or six and a-half points for firstgrade creamery butter, and four and a-half points for first-grade cheese, while for both creamery butter and cheese the range in finest grade was from 93 points upwards. Tins range was considered wide enough to justiiy the provision of two prices tor each ol tho finest and the first grades. The price margins approved by the Minister, continued Air Duncan, were —Creamery Butter.— Finest grade, 94pts. upwards, plus 1/2 per cwt.; 93 to 93 Apts., the basic guaranteed price. First grade: 92 to 92£pts., minus 7d per cwt.; 90 to 91 Apts., minus 2 ! per cwt. Second grade: Minus 7/-. Whey butter: First grade, minus 9/4 per cwt. ; second grad.e minus 1-1/-per cwt. —Choose.— Finest grade: 94 points upwards, plus l/s)d per cwt. ; 93 to 03 J- points, plus 1/2. First grade -. 92 to 92.1 points basic guaranteed price; 91 to 9-1.1 points, minus 7d. Second grade: Minus 2/4. Mr Duncan made it clear that what had been decided on did not alter thepresent grading system in any way. The number of grades, allocation of points to grades, and methods and standards of grading, would ail remain tho same. Butter boxes and cheese crates would all he marked with tho same grade marks as at present. and no added marks would bo affixed to indicate anything in the nature of a subdivision of grades. Asked if lie could indicate the guaranteed prices for butter and cheese for the ensuing season, Ah- Duncan said the Minister would make an announcement in due course. AVhat he had stated related only to margins above and below tho guaranteed prices. Ho could, however, say that in the case of both cheese and creamery blitter the range of grading points n: respect of which the basic guaranteed pric-e would be paid included a considerably larger percentage of muexports than any other similar range.