OUTLOOK FOR PEODUCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18204, 25 September 1922, Page 9

OUTLOOK FOR PEODUCE.

BUTTER AND CHEESE. ADVICE TO SUPPLIERS. NOTE OF WARNING SOUNDED [BY TELEGRJIPH. —OWN' COBSKSJ'ONDENT.] HAMILTON, Saturday. Something in the nature of a •warning ■was issued by Mr. A. J. Sinclair, assistant manager of the New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Association, in an address to the cheese suppliers of Orini last night. Dealing -with the prospects for butter, Mr. Sinclair said it was a matter for gratification that the present position was eo firm. This might continue for souae little time. There was a possibility, however, of a very sharp decline in prices in England after Christmas: Shipping at this end was not vciy satisfactory; and it looked as though butter made in New Zealand in October would not reach England until the new year. If this eventuated the London firms handling produce on consignment would certainly become conservative in their advances to New Zealand factories, and this would react on the monthly advance payments for butter-fat. Referring to the cheese position, the speaker said Mr. J. B. Wright, the company's London manager, believed cheese would be a good proposition hi England in January, February, and March, hut the speaker emphasised the great difficulty of accurately forecasting the markets at the present time. It looked, however, as though reasonable prices could be anticipated by cheese suppliers. Some of the company's factories were already manufacturing cheese. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S CABLES. A REPLY TO CRITICISM. [BY TBLEGEAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Saturday. l The Prime Minister has received from the High Commissioner, Sir James Allen, a communication relating to some complaints which had been made in reference to the alleged failure of the office to keep tha "New Zealand fanners apprised of movements in the cheese market in Britain, and especially regarding the recent Canadian shortage; also suggesting that the reviews sent periodically of t?ie wool markets should deal with the various grades instead of " tops." Sir James Allen explains that the officers of the department not, being directly concerned in handling butjtor or any other produce, were dependent for their information on the trade. They had noi, in most instances, equal facilities with the trade for obtaining statistics estimates of the kind indicated. If unverified information were acted upon and the results proved disastrous to the factories, the latter would have legitimate cause to complain that they were misled. Jt was not fair to expect departmental officers to take the place, of the factories' * own representatives. The general position in regard to cheese Bad been unsatisfactory for some time, and in-the absence of any signs of improvement, several of the importers had cabled their New Zealand suppliers to five preference to the manufacture ot utter for the London market. As things had turned out it appeared to be practically certain that this advice would prove to have been absolutely sound. In regard to wool the criticism also was rather uninformed. 'It was quite true that the High Commissioner's cablegrams periodicafiy quoted the prices of wool in ' the form of *' tops," but it wai not true that to the average farmer this system of quotation was only so much " doubleDutch." As a matter of fact, prior to the war the department had been in. the . habit of quoting fpr wool in the principal classes, bui on the special request of Wei- j / Jington this system was altered after the | war, and quotations •were now given by the count-—36's, 40's, 46's, 50 v s, and so on—the reason probably being that a great deal mors was now know about the trade than was the case previously.