DAIRY EXPORT TRADE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1264, 21 May 1896, Page 7

DAIRY EXPORT TRADE.

Sfecial to the New Zealand Mail. London, March 26

Mr Reeves has thrown himself into the work of ferreting out the truth about the produce trade, and is seeing leading importers, agents and consignees daily. On Tuesday ho wont down to the docks, and saw many things on which ho prefers to suspend his judgment. His attention, however, was specially diawn to two object lessons. On tho quay lay a number of boxes of butter shipped with the greatest care at a temperature of lodeg. They had been landed a couple of days, and the temperature of the butter had risen to -lOdeg, and in some cases 4-Sdtg. Also, lie noticed other boxes surrounded, and in certain instances covered, by bales of greasy, and, it is to be feared, stinking, wool. Query— What would the. flavour of this butter be ?

In our dairy produce notes attention lias been constantly drawn to amazing facts like these, but it is not always easy to allocate tho blameworthy parties. Generally speaking, perhaps, the consignees are negligent and the culprits, but not always. Occasionally it happens the consignor is tardy in advising his agents at this side, and the produce lies at the docks some days before the consignee receives advices. In one case which came under my notice some three years ago the agent did not receive any intimation from the consignor until 12 days after the boat bringing the consignment had docked. He bad never done business with the colonist before, and had, as it happened, nothing in this particular boat from his ordinary clients.