Casein Outlook Gloomy

Northern Advocate, 27 October 1938, Page 12

Casein Outlook Gloomy

[Per Press Association. Copyright .] WELLINGTON, This Day.

“The future of some of the companies in New Zealand manufacturing casein is prejudiced by the decreased demand, and falling prices for the commodity,” said Mr H. E. Pacey, general manager of Joseph Nathan and Company (N.Z., Ltd.) yesterday.

For the time being, business in lactic casein with Japan had ceased, he continued. There was greatly reduced demand at lower prices for rennet casein in Japan. The English market for both lactic and rennet casein was continuing to move so low that with high manufacturing costs there was but trifling returns for the producer. Markets were being over-supplied by France, other European countries and Argentina.

In recent years New Zealand had not sent any large quantities of casein to the English market, her chief customer being Japan. Because under the Government’s guaranteed price scheme, 2d a lb more was paid for butterfat used in the manufacture of cheese than for that used in the production of butter and casein, considerable quantities of butterfat had been diverted to the manufacture of cheese. Hopes were still held out that a market for casein would be created by the manufacture of artificial wool from casein. Experiments in England were still being continued, and further sample shipments of casein had been sent from New Zealand.