DAIRY PRODUCE EXPORT TRADE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 29

DAIRY PRODUCE EXPORT TRADE.

Messrs W. Wedded and Co., London, re port on the 27th Marcli :

Butter.—Tho demand for colonial butter has been vory slow, and it has been only with difficulty that last week's prices have been maintained. At the very close of the week a lowering of values to tho extent of about 2s per cwt has to be recorded. There are great complaints at the slow discharge of the Massilia. She docked on Monday evening, 23rd, at .5 o'clock, yet her butter did not reach the market before this morning. The Oratava has actually placed her butter on tho market as soon as tho Massilia, though she left Australia a week later. For tho fourth week in succession the Copenhagen Committee have lowered the price of Danish butter, a fact wdiich wo believe is unprecedented for the month of March, and the total fall during the last four weeks is now lls 8d per cwt. The present quotation is as follows :—Finest factory, 83s to 01s ; choicest factory, 02s to OS's. The combination in Manchester has been too powerful for tho Danes, and has forced the Copenhagen Committee to bring their butter down to a prico that will cnablo the retailer to offer it a* a shilling a pound. This is an advantago to colonial, as there will be more profit to tho retailer in buying colonial at a few shillings lower than Danish and retailing it at tho same prico. The quantities of Danish, Swedish and Finnish butters coming forward diminish weok by week rather than increase. The quantity afloat from Australia is only 275 tons, and from New Zealand 250 tons against a total of 2100 tons last season. Cheese. —The market is very dull for all classes of cheese, and values of Canadian havo fallen Is on the week. Choicest white is vory scarce, but coloured, both Canadian and New Zealand, is very plentiful. It would be wise if New Zealand makers would .vend half white and half coloured. There is a lack of that hot flavour perceptible in previous years in New Zealand cheese, which has thus improved, but some agents find it not quite so ready for the knife as formerly. We think them better all round. Canadian white can be had from 40s to 4 Is, whilo coloured ranges from !!2s to 4'Zs. New Zealand white fetches 10s to lis; coloured, 30s to 3!)s.