DAIRY PRODUCE PRICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15308, 22 May 1913, Page 8

DAIRY PRODUCE PRICES.

LOWER THAN LAST SEASON. CO-OPERATION ADVOCATED. *- i v»» ' - ~ '"'".,'"- „ - _ . ' Lowts. prices/have ruled on the London cheese market'during the season which is now 'closing than last year, and some attention is given to the matter in the ' annual Report of the South Island Dairy ■ Association. ''Dealing ; " with the ■__ period of "•■ 12 .. ..months ,ending May ; 31, the report stairs the export of cheese to Great ;■'■■*': Britain from the Dominion exceeded - that 7 of the previous year by about 22£ per ■'■■'' cent, (excluding about -14,000 crates lost in the Turakina). . Dealing 1 with' prices, the'reports-states ■ : -''.'•■ that, the Home markets. 'for ; cheese . and butter, especially the former, were disappointing to all in New Zealand. Butter --, had to contend with several adverse con : '< ditions, among which were ' increased Bri- ■ tish and Continental production, owing to :v the unusual mildness of the northern

;•,, autumn and winter, the depressing influL ::«.•',.:• ence of a constant delivery of Australian butter of secondary quality, and the severe competition, of- margarine. "There seems little■■doubt,'' the, report declares, "that butter as well as cheese suffered from the unwholesome j rivalry of many selling agents, many of whom were always nervous and anxious, to sell, and there was no real attemptto co-operate and hold up - prices,' which in ''choicest* butter should • . neverrhave been difficult if our butter had y.; v i been all in the right hands—the fewer the .:■- better.' * Cheese this time last year was ~ , 73s to 74s ; per ,cwt; this year it -is about EBs. '.'■ ..It may be* confidently said that • prices • have suffered from the , mul- ' - tiplicity of agents employed to sell New Zealand cheese,-many of whom are only :'.".■■■ on j the' fringe "of the cheese and butter trade, : and employ ' brokers to sell their goods in Tooley Street and elsewhere as; ' >*> quickly as possible. :.■' ■ ■■'<>.■■ ; " M Several attemps were made to stop the downward trend of prices, for by February, the short selling on top of the forward selling had completely demoralised : "the; market. The fact is, the market has Tt>een controlled by the short sellers, and even those who had sold forward largely seem to have become alarmed and anxious

to "stop the rot;" and some of them were anxious to bring agents together'and confer about keeping prices up." The South Island Dairy Association put forward various schemes for uniting to improve matters, and the National Dairy Association; has . done the same, but no good has come of them, because factories did not 'anything like unitedly come into these schemes. " Home Rule" government prevails at most factories, and it is not surprising that' directors of factories like to manage their own affairs and deal wini their own produce as they please. The report makes a proposal, that all the factories in New Zealand should combine and consign their, cheese only to four of the strongest and best houses in London, or the -two islands should agree to sell monthly or fortnightly at one or two centres- It remarks that there is no man or body of directors capable of safely forecasting the future of the cheese market, and deciding whether to sell or consign nor is there any man in London who could do so. ••- -• '-v -.:,; -