A DEFENCE OF DAIRY FARMERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9141, 24 August 1888, Page 3

A DEFENCE OF DAIRY FARMERS.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,—Your correspondent, "A Grumbler," in this morning's paper, is scarcely justified in his wholesale condemnation of our dairy farmers.' His letter seems to me to savour somewhat of interest in the Freezing ComEany, or the Dairy Association that is to e, for his statements are misleading and contrary to fact. So long as the butter department of the Freezing Company was doing business its butter was always Id to 2d per lb over the market quotations for best dairy butter, and every time an alteration was made in the price of dairy butter it was the signal for a corresponding advance in Freezing Company's butter. This statement is unchallengeable. The butter supplied by the Freezing Company was also on the whole inferior to best dairy butter, and unless very much improved upon in the coming season will be inferior to it again. I am prepared to back my opinion, if the Dairy Association will do likewise, bub I shall want a better judge than " Grumbler" to decide upon the merits of the different productions. The portion of his letter in which he talks of the importation of Danish and Normandy butter is absurd. I should strongly recommend him,to try it, and if he will only continue the experiment long enough, he may find himself in the enviable position which he recommends our farmers to take up, viz., "picking fungus and growing flax." I consider good butter-makers have a real grievance in not being able to get a fair price for a good article. Unfortunately under the present system everybody's butter is good, and all expect the same price. If a .grocer has a few superior dairies, he is precluded from giving the owner a better price than the general run, from the simple fact that unprincipled competition prevents his getting a fair profit upon his purchase from the public. Personally I have tried over and over again to -bring about a better state of things, to encourage the makers of good butter by paying them a better price for a really choice article, but I have as often been worsted when endeavouring to get a corresponding advance from the public.— am, &c, Henry Hewin.