LONDON DAIRY PRODUCE NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1211, 17 May 1895, Page 7

LONDON DAIRY PRODUCE NOTES.

From Our Own Correspondent. London ,March 30. The Select Committee of tne House _of Commons Avhich is engaged in an enquiry into the adulteration of food products has been mainly concerned at its las-c few meetings with the question of margarine. Amongst the witnesses called upon to give their views as to the sale of this substitute for butter was Mr J. C. Lovell, of the wellknown firm of Lovell and Christmas. This gentleman, like most of those called, desired further legislation, to prevent margarine being sold as butter. In the first place, lie would like the mixture of butter with margarine prohibited, and, in addition to heavier fines for selling margarine as butter than those now in vogue, would like a third conviction to carry the penalty of imprisonment. Mr Lovell proceeded to re- ] I mark upon the import of Australian and j Hew Zealand butters, and he made the remarkable statement that pure butter could be shipped in Australia at 3d per lb and landed in England for 4d ! After this, I have no feeling of pity for the colonial producer who gets the splendid, price of 76s per cwt for his “ finest.” It is a handsome price, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves for grumbling at the present state of the Home markets. Joking apart, I cannot conceive how Mr Lovell could blunder into such a statement as that credited to him, He, of all men, should have a pretty accurate idea of the extent to which the cost of producing butter in Australasia can be reduced; but surely he does not deem 3d t.o.b. within the bounds of possibility ! Perhaps Mr Lovell wanted to give the Danes a shock and to persuade the Argentines and Russians to turn their minds from dairying. Or, perchance, he was misreported. Reporters do occasionally make mistakes, I am told. The colonial butter market remains in a dull state, and the slight weakening in prices upon last week’s has not stimulated the demand. The retailers have come down to lQd for good Australian, but the increase of consumption caused by the drop is too slight to be noticed. The current quotation for Australian finest is 765, and only a few fancy bi’ands such as Reynolds’ “Anchor ” can be moved at a higher price. I fully expect that 70s will he the top quotation for ordinary “finest” before April has gone, for uo ong seems to believe tfciat holding on will do any good, and most of the agents are shovelling their consignments out as fast as they can, in the belief that worse is to com®Cheese is in no better plight, and only the very choicest New Zealand will command 4<ss. Lower grades are a drug in the market, and have to be peddled at in twos and threes at'from 4‘2s to 4<4s. SOME OTHER SMALL MATTERS. lam a great adniirer of enterprise, and would not willingly say one word to damp the ardour of those good colonists who are attempting to find outlets for the surplus food products of their colonies. But I must point out that in gauging the value of our markets for hares, rabbits, poultry, eggs, and such luxuries colonists are apt to overlook the fact that we are already well supplied with every article of food it is possible to send from Australasia. The financial results of small experimental shipments of game, poultry, &c., timed to arrive at opportune moments are of little value as a guide to estimating the probable returns upon regular shipments. For instance a small consignment of Australian rabbits arriving in London two months ago would have realised very profitable rates, but at the present moment rabbits are plentiful as blackberries in autumn, and the Australian shipments have caused a perfect glut. Consequently prices are very low, and the Victorian and N.B.W. shippers will feel very Bick when they get the returns and compare them with last year’s. Probably they based their calculations of profit upon the prices obtained twelve months ago (lOd to Is) instead of reckoning, as tfiey should have done, upon the rates obtained when the English markets were well supplied with rabbits. Shortages in any class of produce never obtaiij for long in the Old Country, and are generally fob lowed by “ gluts,” In calculating the possibilities of our markets in regard tc any food stuff colonists should bear ip njind that the supply is already equal to the demand except at certain irregular periods of uncertain duration; that any new supply must necessarily lower prices ; that the foreigners are loth to abandon onr markets, and will continue to supply us at prices which do not give them a fair profit, in. the hope that exporters in other countries will “cry a go”; that Australasian eggs,’ poultry, rabbits, &c., are not superior to the imports of France, Russia, Belgium and other Continental countries j that the Home supply of all these eatables is on the increase, and that the quality of English farm produce is rapidly improving; that the probability of the Mother Country adopting any system of Protection which would give colonial produce an advantage over foreign is exceedingly remote. I may here remark, for the benefit of those farmers who decline to believe that 2£d a gallon for their milk is the necessary sequel to the low butter values this season, that the Russians are preparing to invade the English market with butter and cheese, and that the Argentine farmers say that 60s a cwt will pay them for butter. Mem. for factory folk: Don’t economise on preservitas; get the best, and limit your use of it to i- per cent.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. London, May 9. The Shaw, Savill and Albion Company has informed Mr Reynolds that it is impossible to reduce the freights on dairy produce from New Zealand to London. . The New Zealand Shipping Company refers the question to the Colonial Board. London, May 11. In the House of Commons Sir A. F. Ackland - Hood, M.P. for the Wellington Division of Somerset, has given notice to introduce a Bill providing for the

extension of the Merchandise Marks Act to foreign and colonial cheese. Melbourne, May 12. The Government lias completed arrange” 3 ments with the Blue Anchor and Aberdeen Shipping Companies for carrying Victorian produce to England at substantially reduced rates. From June to September there will be a three-weekly service ; after that at intervals of from 10 to 14 days.