BUTTER EXPORTS DROP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23429, 19 August 1939, Page 11

BUTTER EXPORTS DROP

PAST SEASON'S DECLINE; FALL OF OVER 13 PER CENT LOWEST FOR SEVEN YEARS Exports of New Zealand butter for the vear ended July 31 dropped by 19,375 tons, or 13.7 per cent, to 122,365 tons, the lowest total for seven years. This is the sedc&ul season in succession that exports; have shown a decline. £ This concludes the£ third year in which a fixed price, guaranteed by. the Government, has been paid to farmers for all butter and cheese shipped to overseas markets. For exports of butter alone in the past season farmers in New Zealand have received £17,005,000, based on the guaranteed price of 14.89 d per lb. This compares with £18,071,000 in the previous year and £17,470,600 in the first year under the administration of the Primary Products Marketing Department. Allowance is made for quality differentials in these figures. After records for butter exports were established in both the 1935-36 and 1936-37 seasons, shipments in the past two seasons have a marked downward trend. Exports in the past 10 years compare as follows: — Season Tons • 1029-30 .. .. 92.387 & 1030-31 .. ..... 03,224 3931-32 .. .. 98,232 1032-33 .. .. 120,073 . 1033-34 .. .. 139,002 3 934-35 .. .. 129,704 .. l'J3o-36 .. .. 141,448 1936-37 .. .. 140,003 , 1037-38 .. . . 141,740 : ,j 3938-39 .. .. 122,305 ; i Shipments of butter showed a slight recovery in July, when exports totalled 6305 tons, an increase of 277 tons on the total for the same month last year. As announced in the Hkrald earlier' this week, gradings for export during the 12 months also were over 13 per cent less than last year.. A difficult climatic season, as well as a shortage of farm labour, is responsible for the reduction. Exports in the past two seasons were distributed as follows: — Destination 1938-39 f.1037-38 Tons -j Tons London .. .. 73,353 3 08,387 Southampton .. 2,415 'A Avon mouth & Cardiff 15,708 Liverpool .. .. 7,989 «!* 7,865 Manchester .. .. 10,101 . :;i0,026 Glasgow .. .. 6,611 8,089 Hull and Newcastle .. 3,071 - Honolulu .. .. 289 433 Panama .. .. 405 689 West Indies .. .. 28L 410 'Other countries .. 1,362 ' 8,620 Total .. .. 122,365 141,740 The most striking point in the destination of butter cargoes is the reliance of New Zealand on -the British market, which again took "practically all the exports. Although shipments to London were much lower, more use is now being made of the" smaller ports. Shipments to other markets ■ are all If fairly substantially lower, and an interesting feature is the absence of ■. Germany, which took 1000 tons in the previous year. 11l marked contrast to the decline in New Zealand exports is the , continued expansion in Australia. Shipments from the Commonwealth to Britain in the year ended July 31 were 98,880 tons, compared with 84,720 tons in the previous year. ft' LONDON TONE FIRMER ' NO CHANGE IN PRICE ... CHEESE VALUES LOWER . - Although prices for New Zealand butter are unchanged, a slightly'firmer market is ruling 111 London.' Choicest salted and unsalted remain at 117s per cwt. _ ■ A Press Association message sent from London on Thursday states that Australian ■ salted butter is selling at 107s to 108s per cwt., and Danish from 124s to 125s per cwt., both values being a shade higher. The cheese market is slow and prices have dropped sharply. New Zealand white and coloured are both at; 56s to 56s 6d per cwt., a drop of 2s 9d and 3s 9d respectively. Australian white is 2s lower and coloured 3s cheaper at 54s per cwt. " Recent quotations and those .of a year ago compare as follows: Aug. 18 Angr. 11 July 21 Aug. 19 Butter— 1939 3939 1939 1938 New Zealand 117/- 117/- 124/- 120/Australian . 107/6 107/- 114/- 116/Danish .. 124/6 124/- 130/- 129/6 f Cheese—Ts.Z.: - - White .. 56/3 59/- 63/- 71/6 Coloured ..s 56/3 60/-. 65/-. 71/6 Australian: White .. 54/- 56/- 60/- 69/Coloured .. 54/ 57/- 62/- 69A The present price of 117s is equal to approximately 13.96 d"per lb., f.o.b;, New Zealand ports, com p a red wit h the guaranteed price of 14.89 d per lb., f.o.b. The London equivalent of the guaranteed price is 124s 3d per cwt. The equivalent price'" of cheese is about 6.21 d per lb., f.0.b., compared with the guaranteed price'of 8.42 d. " ! A. S. Paterson and Company, Limited, quotes: —Butter: There is more inquiry. New Zealand, 117s per cwt.; Australian, 108s; Danish. 1245. Chee6o; The market is quiet at 56s per cwt. V

SMALLER CHEESE SHIPMENTS . SECOND SUCCESSIVE DECLINE Cheese exports for the season ended July 31 were 80,673 tons, compared with 84,783 tons in the previous season and 85,169 tons in 1936-37. The decrease in shipments was 4110 tons, or 4.8 per cent.. - ' - - Based on the guaranteed price of--8.42d per lb., the return to the industry in the past season was £6,340,00Q, compared with £6,180.100 in the previous season and £5,415,334 in 1936-37. All but 70 tons of the season's exports was shipped to the United The destination of shipments in the past two seasons were asftfollows: — Destination 103S-S9 1037-38" Tons Tons i London .. 51,902 GljSo7 Southampton .. .. 1,212 Avonmouth and Cardiff 0,372 8,0-10 Liverpool . . - . 5,437 . 5,057 i; 1 Manchester .. .. 5,621 5.J33 Glasgow .. .. 5.215 4,0 m Hull and Newcastle .. 1,844 Other countries . - "O 125 t Total . ■ • • 80,073 8-1,783 Cheese exports in July declined by 639 tons to 4662" tons. Australian cheeso exports for the past season increased by 4388 tons to 16,351 tons. • ■ " <[&•'• . BOBBY CALF TRADE COLLECTIONS IN NORTH- . [by telegraph—OWN correspondent]" -'v WHANGAREI, Friday - * The Whangarei bobby calf pool : for. the first month of tho season handled over 4000 calves, and the prospects are that 6000 will be handled for the coming four-weekly period. The payment to farmers for the last four weeks averaged 8s at the farm gate. In July tho Hikurangi bobby calf pool collected 100Q calves, while for August it is expected that the collections will number about 3200. The best collection was yesterday, "'when 425 calves were handled. Comparing the returns of tho same period of last season with this period, more calves are being collected, although there are fewer cows in the district. The cows are coming to production earlier and farmers are not keeping the .'number of calves that they haye in previous! seasons. . -• " '-i-: ; I