BUTTER AND STRIKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19323, 10 May 1926, Page 10

BUTTER AND STRIKE.

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION.

QUANTITIES IN LONDON. SHIPMENTS ON THE WATER. The announcement that the British Government lias fixed tho maximum prices of butter and cheese at 171s and 93s per cwt., has boon received with mixed feelings by producers in Now Zealand interested in stocks held at Home.

The Wellington Post, says:—'"There appears to bo no compulsion to sell at these rates. Had 180s been the figure for butter probably no complaint would have been made at this end." The quality of buttfir held in store in Great Britain is difficult to estimate, because it is in the hands of individual owners. The New Zealand Dairy Board, however, was advised on April 9 that butter generally, not exclusively of New Zealand origin—so held amounted to 560,000 boxes. Since then 215,000 boxes of New Zealand butter have arrived, and an estimated quantity of 200,000 boxes of Australian has also been landed. There are 185,000 boxes of New Zealand butter on the water, and due to arrive this month. The position is seen in the following table:— Boxes Butter. Store, April 9 . . ... . . 560,000 N.Z., shipped ainco 215,000 Australian . . . . . . 200,000 975,000 N.Z., to arrive in May . . . . 185,000 Total 1,100,000 Withdrawals which cannot be ascertained here will have to be deducted from tho quantities of butter held at Home on April 9. Produce held in New Zealand at April 30 in the various grading ports was: Butter, 9227 tons: cheese, 11,572 tons; as compared with 5248 tons butter and 5139 tons cheese held on April 30, 1925. The produce graded for export during the past nine months, compared with that of the 1925 season was as follows: Butter. Clieeao. 192fi .. .. 59,159 68,414 1925 . . . . 07,310 64,541 Butter shows a decrease of 12.1 per cent., and cheese an increase of 6 per rent. Converting the figures into butter-fat equivalent, there is a decrease of 6.5 per cent, in butter-fat production for tho nine months, as compared with the corresponding period of the 1924-25 season. ADVICES IN AUCKLAND. POSSIBILITY OF COMMANDEER, Dalgety and Company, Limited, report having received the following cablegram from their London house dated May 6:— "The sheep skin and wool sales have been postponed until circumstances permit of their resumption. "Owing to the strike dairy produce is beiug distributed in co-operation with the Government, at prices not exceeding last, week's quotations. Commandeer may follow, in which event the limit placed on goods in store cannot be enforced. Quotations at present are nominally unchanged. "Frozen meat prices are nominally unchanged, and similar arrangements to those for dairy produce are anticipated." The Bank of New Zealand has received the following message from its London office dated May 6:—"Wool and sheepskins sales have been postponed indefinitely. Other produce markets are j practically at a standstill."