AUSTRALIAN BUTTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21360, 13 June 1931, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN BUTTER

PRESENT METHOD OF SELLING CONTINUANCE DECIDED ON. MELBOURNE, June 12. At . the conference of the Dairy Produce Export Board the outstanding question discussed was whether the present method of selling butter on an f.o.b. and c.i.f. basis should continue. ' Mr J. R. King, of the London agency, attended and addressed the conference, after which it was decided that in view of- the world depression it would not be in the best interests of the dairying industry to disturb the existing method. The’ question of limiting the number of selling agents in London was discussed, and it was resolved to make no reduction. However, it was agreed that those agents wljo handle Australian butter shipped on consignment should 1m licensed. An effort should also be made to effect economies at the London selling agency, which at present is costing £6OOO annually. A message received on May 29 stated that there was a sharp division of opinion among the co-operative and proprietary butter factories regarding the c.i.f. and f.o.b. methods of selling compared with the consignment method, and the question was exhaustively deflated at a conference of butter, manufacturers without anything like unanimity being reached. Mr Parker Moloney (Minister of Markets), upon his return from abroad, expressed the opinion that c.i.f. and f.o.b. selling were detrimental to the interests of the producers, and led to unfair manipulation, underselling, and market depressions. The outcome is that Mr J. King, of the London selling agency, has been summoned to Australia, and will attend a meeting of the Control Board on June 9, when his views upon the respective merits of the systems will be available.