PRIMARY PRODUCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 231, 29 August 1938, Page 5

PRIMARY PRODUCE.

SUPPLIES TO BRITAIN.' DOMINION’S LEADING PLACE. HAMILTON, Aug. 27. I he fact that New Zealand still retained first place as the largest supplying country of butter and cheese to the United Kingdom was pointed out by Mr W. Goodfellow, advisory director, at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Co.. Ltd. Mr Goodfellow, who gave a review of the pa6t season, also declared that the United Kingdom remained the only worth-while export market. Imports into the United Kingdom for the year ended June 30, 1938, compared with the previous year, he said, were as follow: 1937-38 1936-37 Tons Tons Total butter ... 475,000 , 486,000 From New Zealand ... 140,000 142,000 From Denmark 113,000 UA92S From Australia 84,000 Total cheese 149.000 135,000 From New Zealand ... 85.000 From Canada 37,000 30,000 The United Kingdom factory production figures for the years 1937 and 1936 were: 1937 1936 Tons Tons - Butter 16.500 p,400 Cheese 38,100 54,000 Margarine 183,400 179,000 CONSUMPTION PER HEAD. The consumption per bead of butter and maragarine, Mr Goodfellow stated, was as follows: Butter Mar. Total lb lb lb United Kingdom, 1937 .. 24.7 8.9 33.6 United Kingdom, 1936 .. 24.8 8.7 33.5 United Kingdom, 1935 .. 25.3 8.4 . 33.7 New Zealand, 1937 41 The estimated average London prices for the past season and the previous season were: Salted butter— 1937-38 1936-37 Increase New Zealand 120 s 104 s 16s Australian 119 s 103 s 16s Danish 129 s U7e 12s This showed that tiie New Zealand-

Danish margin had been reduced by 4s per cwt., said Mr Goodfellow. LOWER EUROPEAN IMPORTS. Whereas imports of butter and cheese into the United Kingdom had greatly increased since 1930, the four other main European importing countries had decreased annual imports of butter by 65,000 tons, as shown by the following figures: 1937. 1930. Tons Tons. Germany 65,467 131,059 France 647 5,769 Belgium 2,218 10,006 Switzerland 2,488 8,390 90.820 155,225 . 'Canada and the United States imported dairy produce only when a shortage occurred, and maintained heavy import duties, Mr Goodfellow continued, and Eastern markets were small buyers; no substantial sales were possible, even under favourable conditions. RESTRICTIONS TO TRADE.

In regard to a reduction in quotas, tariffs and other obstructions to international trade and to increasing employment and prosperity, Mr Goodfellow said he regretted to state that during the year under review there had been no improvement; rather there had been increasing difficulties in trade with such important countries as Germany and Japan.To enable the suppliers of the company to realise how difficult it was for New Zealand to develop any substantial alternative market for New Zealand dairy produce, other than the United Kingdom, he quoted a long list of import duties imposed by other countries.