ACTIVITY IN BUTTER.

Northern Advocate, 6 October 1913, Page 6

ACTIVITY IN BUTTER.

There is now considerable activity in the butter market, and already several well-known factories have disposed of their outputs for the season. Among them are Okutu, Oakura, and Tikorangi, at 113 d for London. It is understood that a

well-known Wairarapa factory has sold for San Francisco at 12d per lb less brokerage. Stratford (Taranaki) sold at 12d per lb under special conditions. There seems to be a gen-eral-Hisposition to sell for London at 11%-d. Mr Crowe, Superintendent of Exports, Victoria, has heavily inveighed against the low quality of Australian butter shipped last season, due, in his judgment, to the fact that farmers- do not realise the importance of careful treatment of cream. Butter results, Mr Crowe adds, cannot be expected until a system of grading cream is adopted. The introduction of the separator, in 'his opinion, has tended to the depreciation of the quality of the butter. The exports of Australian butter during the first seven months of 1913 totalled 337,019,1951b5, as against 33,720,----3251bs for the corresponding period of 1912, 3,298,670 more, but the return obtained for the butter was less. The value of shipments was as follows: — Seven Months. 1913. 1912. To £ £ United Kingdom 1,463,889 1,504,844 Other Countries 222,125 219,497 1,686,016 1,724,341 Wellington butter exporters to Vancouver are still unsatisfied with the Union Company's arrangements for the season now offering. They recognise, it would appear, the value of the concession that the extra %d per lb which it was proposed to charge on the freight for butter shipped from Wellington via San Fracisco (American coastal freight) but urge that the conditions under which this is to be remitted, or rather borne, by the Union Company are such that it amounts to no concession at all. They still urge that Wellington and the south generally should be put on exactly the same footing as Auckland with respect to freight charges, and not penalised by %d per lb coastal freight for butter carried in /refrigerated New Zealajtid coastal steamers; or, on the other hand, the steamers should call at Wellington for butter and meat for Vancouver, as the Canadian importer is not at all satisfied to have his butter passing through San Francisco and carried on the coast an unrefrigerated cargo. —"Post."