THE BUTTER MARKET

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 8 April 1908, Page 5

THE BUTTER MARKET

[PEESS ASSOCU'xION.j AUCKLAND, April 7. The Wellington quotation for butter has for some time past been higher than that ruling in Auckland. " The allround decline of one- penny per lb therefore brings the 'sihithern -price very little lower than the present quotation here. Some relief was afforded by the genial weather conditions which prevailed towards the end of last month, and the production all over the North Island received a considerable stimulus. In the opinion of a gentleman identified with the butter trade in the Auckland provincei the' reduction in Wellington was arranged while the full advantage of the increased make was beiqg released. The brief spell of favorable weather and consequent improvement in the milk supply also made it appear possible that a reduction might be effected in Auckland, but the sudden cold change of the last few days precludes the likelihood of this being realised. The output will be still further restricted, and as the quantity in cold storage is very small for this time of the year, butter is likely to be in short supply right through the winter. Another wellknown butter merchant, in referring to the subject, pointed out that the reduction in Wellington only brings the southern price to an equivalent of that ! now ruling in Auckland. The merchant I in question anticipates very little variation one way or the other in the AuckI land quotation. Some alarm, he points oia*fc, was occasioned by "tlx© ta^t "tnajh 16,000 boxes which were intended for export had to be retained in the Dominion, but after the bulk of this has been disposed of the market will, in his opinion, settle down. It is impossible to say what the April-May output is going to be, but the cold snap in the Auckland and Taranaki provinces will have a deteriorating effect.