ENGLISH BUTTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22833, 14 September 1937, Page 5

ENGLISH BUTTER

MILK BOARD'S EFFORTS PRODUCTION TO DECREASE LIQUID SALES ADVOCATED £from OCR OWN correspondent] LONDON, August 18 Steps are being taken by the British Milk Marketing Board to ensure that every gallon of milk produced which can bo so used goes into the more profitable markets of liquid consumption, cream manufacture and condensing,

rather than being used for butter production. Diversion of supplies is now being arranged with the co-operation of the buyers. This decision is partly the outcome of the Government's refusal to impose an ear-marked tariff on imported butter and cheese, which it was hoped would serve to raise the price of the homo products closer to an economic figure, and partly because the combination of cheap butter and cheap milk for English consumers is spelling ruin to the English dairy farmer. The milk producer in England today is experiencing a worrying time. The ordinary farmer who depends on the sale of his milk for a livelihood has had a lean year and has barely covered his outgoings. His production costs have risen, but, bound by an annual contract fixing prices until the end of September, ho has not been able to recoup himself. The Milk Marketing Board, the milk producers' selling organisation, is now discussing with milk buyers the terms of the annual contracts which arc to rule from October 1. The 1936-37 prices were: —October to March, Is 5d a gallon; April, Is 4d; May, Is, Is 8d; June, Is; July and August, Is Id; September, Is 3d. Milk producers are unanimous in demanding that the board shall obtain such contract prices as will give them an extra ljd a gallon

in the pool prices. While the milk producers have had a lean year, it is an interesting fact that tho sales of milk in Great Britain j are rising. Tho National Milk Publicity Council has issued a report 011 its six months' 'campaign in six selected industrial areas to increase the sale of liquid milk to industrial workers. So successful have tho efforts of the organisers been that 4186 firms, employing 1,314,377 men and women, have been operating the schemes. The total reported and estimated consumption of milk under these schemes amounted to 434,605 gallons for May. As there aro still 3750 factories to be approached, the good work should be continued. One well-known firm wrote to the council to isay that the scheme started with 1200 half-pints a week, and in six months the demand increased to over 0000 half-pints a. week. The milk consumption was not confined to female workers, as male I workers have asked for the same facilities.

OVERLAPPING OF FACTORIES

PROBLEM IN VICTORIA

Dairymen in Victoria, Australia, are preparing to attack the problem of overlapping of butter factories and uneconomic competition for eruam. The superintendent of duirying, Mr. J. M. Kerr, said recently that the evil was rife ill the State and that it was having a serious effect upon tho quality of butter produced. There woro too many factories, and tho only way to overcome tjie problem of faulty cream grading was to reduce that number. In districts whore there was a large number of fuotorics and competition for tho business of the farmers was excessive, regulations dealing with grading and quality and payment for" cream were often completely disregarded.