NEW ZEALAND DAIRY PRODUCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1152, 30 March 1894, Page 16

NEW ZEALAND DAIRY PRODUCE.

A further report from Mr S. Lowe (Government Dairy Expert at London) has just come to hand. It is dated February 2nd, and is of an interesting nature. NEGLECTED BUTTER. Mr Lowe says : — ln one of my previous reports 1 spoke of finding 472 boxes and 54 kegs of the Tongariro's butter lying in the shed at the Albert Docks, exposed to all the changes of temperature and virtually unprotected from all the dangers such cxposuro entails, during a period of about a month —in fact, until the Ruapehu arrived. I have now further to report that 354 boxes and 120 kegs of the Ruapehu's butter have, until the last few days, been subjected to similar ti*eatment. There can be little doubt but that the quality has depreciated considerably since they were landed, and therefore whoever eats them will not have so good an opinion of New Zealand butter as they would have had if the quality had not been depreciated. They will thus give New Zealand butter a bad name.

IRREGULAR SHIPMENTS. It is almost impossible to over-estimate the damage done to the butter trade of the Colony by the withdrawal of those steamers that formerly brought their cargoes regularly every fortnight. This season the arrival of New Zealand butter has been most spasmodic, and consequently buyers have turned their attention to Australian, where regularity of arrival week by Aveek is a certainty. It would be an immense advantage if the Government would follow the eatample of Victoria and secure from the shipping companies a regular service for next season. If this service were fortnightly, and so arranged that each vessel brought about an equal quantity, it would be a still further advantage. Nothing demoralises a market more than one week to flood it with butter and the next starve it. COLD STORAGE IN THE COLONY. Along with this question of securing fortnightly, and equal shipments arises that of cold storage in the Colony. Every cargo of butter that arrives demonstrates the inadequacy of the present supply. I feel pretty confident, from a long experience of inspecting New Zealand butter on its arrival, that when it is first made, it is mostly sweet. It is the practice of keeping it under the house, or other cool places, instead of being able to despatch it straight off to a freezing chamber, that causes so much of it to become rank and realise comparatively low prices. The butter is damaged before reaching the ship's frozen or cool chamber, by either getting too hot in the farmer's house or factory store, or on the railway down to the port, or in the holds of the coasting steamers. To mend this deplorable state of things is the first duty of the Government.

THE BUTTER MARKET. The butter market this week has been in a very imcertain condition, and as Danish has fallen another four shillings, it will require all the energies of the Butter Committee to keep up the price of colonial. The Danes are determined to bid for the market, and have lowered the price for that purpose. During the last month in London colonial butter has been selling so much below its intrinsic value that buyers have neglected Danish, and the consequence is there are large accumulations in the north of England and tho Midlands which must be worked off, and a lower price has been fixed with this object. Still the Oceana's butter has gone off so well, and the Orient has such a small cargo, that it will be difficult for the Danish manoeuvre to affect the price of colonial. SHARP PRACTICE. I have heard this week on excellent authority from a gentleman whom I can unhesitatingly believe, that an importer in Tooley street bought about 80 boxes of

New Zealand butter with the brand " Taranaki " marked on in largo letters. Yet on one side of these boxes, in equally bold letters, was the announcement "Made in Victoria." Now 1 have no doubt but that this was done because Victorian butter is becoming popular. There are not many grocers or wholesale dealers who have sufficient geographical knowledge to detect this error. It may perhaps appear only a small matter, but the utmost precaution will be taken to discover if the author of this manoeuvre- intends to carry on his nefarious practice. If he does, an action under the Mercantile Marks Act will teach uim a very salutary lesson.