DAIRY PRODUCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16292, 27 January 1915, Page 2

DAIRY PRODUCE

SOUTHLAND SHIPMENTS. (Fbom Ode Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, January 25. The Poherua took away lrom Biun to-day for Ixmdon 6564 crates of cheese. The consignment will be transhipped to the Waimana at Port Chalmers. The following are the principal contributing factories :—Apavima, 287 crates; Eaendale, 1505; Glenham, 129, Gore, 110; Island, 230; Mataura, 500; Merrivale, 100; Otautau, 150; Otamita, 100; Pukerau, 100; Ryal Bush, 120; Seaward Downs, 1C0; Tnornbury, 265; Toitoi, iOO; Waianiwa, 104; Whiterig, 140; Woodlands, 200; Wright's Bush, 103; Wyndham, 180. With few exceptions all the cheese was passed as first grade. The following are the shipments to date and for the corresponding periods during the previous three years :— 1311-12. 1912-13. 1913-14. 1914-15. Crates. Crates. Crates. Crates. London ... 33,7i9 37,598 39,829 34,097 West of England ... 8,249 3,510 4,085 6,271 Totals ... 41,968 41,108 43,914 40,368 It nas to be mentioned that last year while me strike was in. progress a/10 crates of Otago cheese were snipped at uiuli, but even allowing lor this tneie is an apparent decrease in tile number of crates snipped; m tact, the number this year is so iar tlie lowest for the past lour years. A factor that lias to be taken into consideration, however, is tne growing teiKioncy.to increase the size of tile cheese*. There are two in each crate, and lormeily the practice was to have each cheese maue into a colt) lot. In aeteren.ee to tne desire from Loudon, however, most of the lactones are now turning out cheese bulb in weight, so that the comparison of the number oi crates is haruiy a lair one. The exact quantity for this season is not yet available. In 1911-12, 102,0a8cwt of cheese were shipped from .biuff ; in 1912-ld, lUd,oodcwt; aim in iai3-14, il3,o6acwt. In a report issued by Air J. It. Scott (secretary of the South island Dairy Association; on the 6th inst., it is stated that Bluff shipments, owing to the earlier sea- ( son, show an increase of 6b04 crates to ( London and 2461 crates to the West of England, but the record kept at the office of the Agricultural Department at Bluff t does not Dear out that statement, and it c is a moot point also as to whether the f 1914-15 season was an earlier one than its c predecessors. ~ Cheese is selling at 74s to 76s per cwt, but forward sellers have been offering out- r puts down'to 70s, landed terms. Only a limited quantity of New Zealand cheese is yet on the market, and it will be early in February, probably, before prices are fixed and large quantities of New Zealand cheese get on the market. The army is using cheese very largely, and this will probably counteract any weakness in the general r demand, which, however, may not occur, t as it seems probable that there will bo t little or no lack of employment now among I the British workers, who are always the r main consumers of our cheese. j The Vancouver and San Francisco trade in butter has lessened up to date, the high prices stopping American buyers, but it 4 looks now as if it would increase, as they c now realise that they must pay higher 1 prices. t Mr Scott has the following to say in 1 the report already mentioned : '' The t Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company and £ the New Zealand Shipping Company also i deserve great credit for the way they have shipped our produce, despite many diffi- \ culties through several 01 their steamers ( being taken by the British Government f for transports from the dominion. From October 1 up to the end of December they have actually carried 8556 boxes of batter I and 10,883 crates of cheese more than 1 last season, and this does not include the Mamari. which should harve sailed on December 31, but has not yet sailed. If the t Mamari shipments were included it 'would ( probably snow that they have caTried up ( to the end of December about 50,000 boxes of butter and 31,000 crates of cheese more than for the same period last season. Under -war conditions this was hardly expected, and the dairy farmers of New * Zealand and the two associations must be * well satisfied that the contract with the two shipping companies has been all along in their best interests.