The Outlook for Butter

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 10, 11 December 1931, Page 1

The Outlook for Butter

Interview with Mr. F. H. Leonard Leonard and Sons, Ltd., is an Auckland butter export firm well and favourably known in the North, and Mr. F. H. Leonard paid us a visit last week being at Kaitaia over the week-end. Mr. Leonard has varied interests outside business, and by the help of Mr. Harry Bedggood, who is a keen botanist and knows the habitat of every plant in the district, he secured specimens of three rare Northern ferns for the Auckland Domain fernery. There a disused scoria pit has been turned into a fine fernery containing many specimens of our numerous fern family, and these Northerners will be a welcome addition to the very complete collection. Asked as to the prospects of the butter market in Britain, Mr. Leonard said they were very uncertain at present. He thought if the local factories could get offers at the present prices, or near them, they would be wise to sell. In his opinion much would depend on the result of the Disarmament Conference in February. If some agreement was reached as to disarmament then the outlook for better prices would be much brighter. The Ottawa Imperial Conference ought to result in better facilities for mutual trade among the various members of the Empire, but he doubted if the imposition of a duty on Danish butter would be of much help in raising the prices of our produce. There is a large body of consumers, especially in the North of England, who will buy Danish butter in any case, and as, like ourselves, the only market for Danish butter is Britain, it will go there just the same. Part of the duty might have to be borne by the Danish farmer, but the bulk of it would be paid by the purchaser. In any case, it must be remembered that the first object of protective duties in Britain would be to aid British agriculture. If we wanted a protected market there we must be willing to make concessions in our own It is sometime since Mr. Leonard last visited the North, and he was much impressed with the very evident advance in dairying here, and the efforts being made to meet lowered prices by increased production. The industry was going through difficult times at present, but if the present world difficulties were met in a proper spirit there was a prosperous future before it.

The flax industry is showing signs of revival. Two mills have resumed working in the Auckland province and two others are expected to resume operations shortly. A round sum of £366,275 was paid out on Saturday in dividends by the Bank of New Zealand—£9B,697 to the Government and £267,578 to private sharehoolders.