NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13834, 21 August 1908, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

POSITION ON THE LONDON

MARKET.

INTERVIEW WITH MR. SPRAGG,

Mb. Wes/je* Spragg, the managing director ot she New Zealand Dairy Association, who has just returned from a tour of Great Britain and America, gave a. representative of the Herald yesterday some of the impressions gathered on his journey.

" It has not been a pleasure trip." he said. *' I have been or! a tour through England, Scotland, Wales, and America in the interests of the dairying organisation with which I am connected, my chief mission being to report on the eondtions reigning in the butter market in England. A period of 10 years had elapsed since my last visit, and I realised that changes had taken plate in the English market, but I was unprepared for the great changes which I found had actually occurred. I spent seven weeks in London, and made the fullest inquiry on all subject* relating to the shipping and market ins of butter. The change* which I noted will involve i.-criespondiiijj changes in our New- Zealand methods, but 1 do not want to say definitely what were the opinions I gathered, as I consider it my first duty to report to my directors.

" What do 1 think about the state of the butter market generally'? Well, the past season has been an exceptional one, owing to the shortage of supplies, and the juices have been high. We have no right, to expect a recurrence of such markets, unless under similar exceptional conditions. But lam of opinion that good buying prices will be obtained for many years to come. The reason for this is the constantly increasing demand for butter, caused by the growing population in all of the older countries. America has ceased to be a competitor in the London market, owing to the fact that her supplies are needed at home, while Canada, the greatest cheese producing country in the world, is in much the same position in regard to butter. It does not appear that even Siberian productions are likely in the immediate future to seriously interfere with the demand for New Zealand butter. And you ask particularly about the Danish competition. The Danish butter, I must say, still holds its high position in the estimation of the British, and, perhaps more definitely, the Scottish public. This is partly due to the excellent quality of the Danish butter, and is also attributable in part to the conservatism of tha people. The New Zealand butter, however, is holding its own, and I would like to say that the average quality of our butter is very little, if any, below the quality of that from Denmark, any little difference being accounted for by the greater delay which occurs in our butter being transferred from the dairies to the London market. But with this exception of the Danish product I found that NewZealand butter averaged very much better in quality than almost any other upon the market.

" I was struck with the generally low quality of the butter which was being consumed in England. A similar impression was forced upon me during my tour of .America, in some portions of the country the butter appearing to be little more than glorified axle grease. I was particularly struck by the low grade of the butter produced in some of the central and Western districts, where the home separating system is in vogue. The truth is that the home separating system is one which does not lend it-self to the production of the high-class article. " '

" You ask whether I am more than ever convinced of the merits of the consignee system over contracts, as applied to butter. 1 am. The consignee system appeals to me as being much better than sales to speculators.-

"Finally," said Mr. Spragg, "1 should like to say that under careful guidance, such as is being given to the industry by the Government of New Zealand, * and with the natural dairying facilities, of the country, our butter will have no difficulty whatever in holding its own against the world. It will certainly Tie necessary, however, to keep in closer touch than we have. d-.iic in the past with the distributors abroad. Nevertheless, I do not think that it would be advisable to act on tilt suggestion that New Zealanders should open their 00.11 wholesale London depots to handle their butter in England. The system which has grown up naturally, and which lias man;, of the elements "of natural and genuine co-operation, is not likely to be easily it..pnned upon."