AUCKLAND NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14610, 18 February 1908, Page 9

AUCKLAND NOTES.

i [Fitoji Gun Correspondent.] [ AUCKLAND, February 15. J The high prices for butter ruling on the London market are attracting keen interest amongst thoso engaged in the dairying industry, and a great many i who are not directly concerned are fol- ' lowing the matter with close attention. Never before in the history of dairying have prices reached anywhere near the rates now quoted at Home of 148 s and 150 s per cwt, the highest previous quotation for New Zealand butter being 127 s at the opening of the season. There were determined attempts to bear the market here and get hold of Auckland factory outputs at such prices as 9*d and 9Jd per lb, and although those accustomed to look for cause and effect strenuously urged the factories to consign rather than sell O'n contract, many contracts were made, the factories seeming' to suffer from a mild panic. Still the agitation had the effect of forcing up contract prices to 10|d and 10|d, and the factories benefited accordingly. Those which did consign throughout the season are enjoying splendid returns. In the other cases it is the buyers who are smiling. The present dry weather is cutting down tho outputs of all factories, and if present conditions continue, they will all be practically closed down at the end of March. Nearly all of them have their outputs to the end of March tied up under contracts, so that a rather serious position is being brought about. It really becomes a gamble on the weather. Pastures are so dried up that there is little or no hope of their recovering normal strength this season, and if present conditions continue, factories will be closing down when they have filled contracts, thus leaving them no margin of time to make for local winter use, and the factories which have followed the practice of consigning are storing in anticipation of high winter rates, so that they will benefit over again. Heavy rains now should check the threatened shortage. They could not avert high winter prices. One effect of the drought now being experienced is a serious shortage in vegetables. When waited upon by a reporter, a retail greengrocer admitted that prospects were indeed cloudy. "We can just about supply all our customers and a good part of the shipping, but then in the latter case there must bo some kind of a limit. Generally wo can give them enough to keep "them supplied until they reach another port. Potatoes, of course, are in fair quantity, bat 3-011 can't get the quality." And do you also fear a famine? "I can see nothing else unless rain comes very soon. Last year we grew more vegetables than ever before, three or four acres more in fact,and it took us all our. time to meet the requirements. We supply many hotels, and the effect of the decrease in supplies has been that several of them are now using a large amount of tinned greenstuffs." The proprietor of ono of tho leading hotels, when approached on tho subject, explained that in the past he had been kept fairly well supplied. "Wo have not yet begun to use tho tinned article," he said, " but if the vegetable bills are going up in all cases the same way as ours are I shall not bo surprised to find some do so. My own accounts are getting so high that I have just decided to have a look into matters myself. Of course so long as ono cares to pay for it, one can keep his requirements fulfilled, but in tho other case things must indeed reach a bad pass."