DAIRYING REVENUE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 2 April 1930, Page 6

DAIRYING REVENUE

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COMPETITION FROM ABROAD

SEVERE LOCAL EFFECTS

VIEWS IN ARBITRATION, COURT Pertinent observations on the present position and prospects of the dairying industry were made by Mr T. 0. Bishop, secretury of the New Zealand Employers' Federation, in the Arbitration Court at New Plymouth, (luring the hearing of an application for a now dairy workers' award for Taranaki. Mr Bishop said evidence had been given to tho Court vliich showed that the competition which New Zealand had to meet in the marketing of her butter production in Great Britain had enormously increased. The largely increased supplv to the British market, from 80,000 tons to 290.000 tons in- ten years, had undoubtedly been the biggest factor in bringing about lower prices for exported produce. This season there was no indication whatever that any ihniinution of supply from competing cou-i- ---' tries would be experienced. On the other hand, the expectation was that the supply from Denmark, Argentina, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Russia would be steadily increased. That expectation was based upon the knowledge that the number of factories in those countries had multiplied many times during the last few years, and there had been a great investment of capital in connection with their establishment. "Consideration of the expert evidence which had been given,", continued Mr Bishop, "can leave no doubt that the prices of butter are about to become stabilised at a much lower level (ban has been experienced at any other time since the war. In light of the lat:st quotations, I submit that the estimate of average prices for this season winch has baen submitted to the Court viU be found to err on the high side, and that the actual realisations for the whole'of the 1929-30 season will be less than the estimate. "The total increase of butter-fat production over a period of two years is 92,1601 b., or less than 0.4 per cent What then becomes of the statement that increased production this.year will be anything like, sufficient to offset decreased prices? It is certain that the buiterfat cheque for tiie Dominion for the c::r-1 rent season will be three or four million pounds less than the total butterfat cheque for last season. The urgent necessity 10-day is to enlarge the arc * of purchasers of\our supplies, but while that is a necessity, it is equally n-ccs- ' sary for these other countries wfnen are increasing their supplies."