NEW ZEALAND BUTTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21646, 17 May 1932, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND BUTTER

SERIOUS AUSTRALIAN COM- f PETITION QUESTION OF SECOND GRADE.(From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 7In 1029 Australia sent to this country 38,000 tons of flutter. In 1930 the figure increased to 47,000 /tons, and last season to 78,000 tons. Had it not been for the bad weather it is possible the Commonwealth would have reached this year the 100,000 tons mark instead of 80,000 tons. In 1929 the arrival of the butter was spread over about four or five months, and the regulation of shipments was not good. There was not much competition, therefore, for New Zealand prpducers to fear. Conditions are changing and the Dominion will certainly have to take no chances in regard to Australian competition in the future. During the last six weeks the delivery of Australian buttej from the London cool stores has been considerably greater than that of New Zealand butter. There are two reasons for this heavy supply. In the first place, Australia does not send much to the West Coast ports, and, secondly, shipments are not well regulated. ■ ■ . ,>

Not only has there been an increase of quantity, in Australian butter, but there has been a definite improvement in quality for the last two years. Now that supplies are lower it jis to bo anticipated that next week, the price for Australian butter will be on a level with that of New Zealand butter. When considering Australia as a competitor another factor beside quantity and quality has to be taken into account. The Australian Government Publicity Department have a staff of outside representatives whose duty it is to- call on wholesalers and retailers and push Australian produce, including butter. The sum of money the Australian Dairy Board deducts from the producers fori propaganda purposes is subsidised poundfor pound by the Government, and the board spends proportionately more than, twice as much as the New Zealand board in publicity, FREE SAMPLES. The Australian travellers just now are carrying on a campaign in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Leading picture theatres are leased for a certain part of the day, and a full-time film depicting Australian life is being shown free of charge. After the performances every woman who has attended the theatre is with a sample of butter with appropriate j literature. The picture shows arc well, advertised in the local newspapers, and this, together with the general desire to forward Empire trade, ensures the insertion of useful paragraphs in the editorial columns of the journals. In addition, posters are being displayed in various places of vantage. SECOND GRADE BUTTER. It will thus be seen that Australian butter must now be considered as a serious competitor. In one respect _ the Commonwealth handicaps herself in'the same way as does New Zealand. She sends a certain proportion of second and third grade butter to this country. The Dominion sends nearly 1000 tons of second grade butter to Great Britain and about 1000 tons of whey butter, and it is considered that the bulk of this is sold over the counter ns “ New Zealand ” ' butter without further .explanation. Numbers of retailers who sell Danish as their high quality butter buy this inferior New 'Zealand produce, to sell as their secondary grade. The name of New Zealand is freely used in this case, but greatly to the detriment of the good name of New Zealand butter generally. There is no doubt that if we wish to compete successfully with the Danes we must copy their methods. Denmark produces as much second grade butter as New Zealand, but one cannot get an ounce of it outside Denmark. One man, comparing Danish butter with New Zealand, said that to eat the latter was “ like kissing your own sister.”