SKIMMINGS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1507, 17 January 1901, Page 51

SKIMMINGS

Figures speak for themselves. The amount of butter received in London from the colony for the period from September Ist to October 20th of this year totalled 7420 cwt, against 477/ cwt for the corresponding period, of last year. * * -tf* ‘ .Jf Writing under date of November 30th of the London batter market, Messrs Weddel and Co. report :—“The temperature all over Western and NorthWestern Europe remains mild, and the minimum everywhere is above freezing point. In the eastern and central portions of Europe lower temperatures prevail, and if the easterly winds continue the climate in the western andi normwestern portions of Europe will soon become Wintry. The past week has oeen wet and depressing in the United Kingdom. The demand for “choicest*’ and “finest” brands of Australian butter cannot be met at the moment owing to the very late arrival of the s.s. Cuzco, which has thrown the market all out of gear. It is reported that after another voyage the Cuzco will be withdrawn from* the Australian service. The Whakatane, from New Zealand, is also a few days late, and the consequence is that next week large supplies of butter will be on hand. It is fortunate that the Oruba, due on December Bth, has only 88Ub boxes of Australian Gutter on board, or these late arrivals of steamers would have brought about a glut of butter. Prices have advanced 2s per cwt on the week in sympathy with the general rise in price of butter. ‘ Choicest” may now he quoted at 110 s to 112 s per cwt, but the greater part is sold at llOs; “finest” brings 102 s to 106 s; Canadian butter may be quoted) in Manchester at 110 s to 112 s for “choicest/’ but in London 102 s to 104 s is the top value. The supplies from Canada are falling rapidly away, and the total import of Canadian butter since Ist of May this year is 5100 tons below the corresponding period of 1809. The Copenhagen Committee has acted prudently in not again raising the official quotation, as it is pretty evtuent the trade in this country would not follow the rise. The price of Danish is already 14s per cwt above Australasian, and it is not probable that any higher value will be reached this side of Christmas. In the secondary quality of butter there is a very big demand for Russian or Siberian, which has been such good value for some time that other secondary varieties have been pushed

aside in favour of the new corner. The price of Kussian, however, is advancing, and the quantity diminishing rapidly, so that American, which is also very gooa Value, will have a chance of meeting a better demand. Supplies of Argentine butter are very late this year, only aoout 325 cwt having arrived since Ist September, while last year I32scwt arrived, or 3 list lOOcwt more.