NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE IN THE HOME MARKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 1912, 13 July 1888, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE IN THE HOME MARKET.

DAIRY PRODUCE.

Mr W. D. 'Sutherland has placed the following letter at our disposal : —

21th March 1888. W. D. Sutherland, Esq., Dunedin, N.Z.

Dear Sir,— l am in receipt of your favour of 7th February, and have pleasure in replying to your inquiries re butter, &c. The trade this season in imports of colonial butter and cheese baa been enormous— of the former especially. Although New Zealand should be able to have (he other colonies far behind, she has been run pretty close in point of quantity by New South Wales, and according to our experience she has been surpassed by that col.-ny in point of quality. I have heard it said of some New South Wales samples: " No better could be deshvd," and up to 120s was given for them. Ihe best I can hear of in New Zealand is 110s. We have ourselves got this price in one or two cases, but uo more, whilo New South Wales we have sold over and over again at 112s. The fact is your friends of New Zealand are the most careless and indifferent makers it is possible to fancy. To speak very plainly, the colony, which I and you know to be so very capable, ought to be ashamed of itself for turning out such a lot of rubbish. The make alone might be objected to, but; there can be no possible reason why the butter should come Home in such an odd variety of packages. It is this outward appearance that affects the price to the shipper's detriment so muoh. O.ir neighbours of France and Holland otudy the English market to a nicety, and the result is they almost command the market. Well, first it would be worth any one's while in New Zealand to arrange that all through one season— say September to February in New Zealand— he makes one kind of best butter, with the slightest percentage of salt; paeka it in 561b Pond's patent boxes, with cloth lining; brands the boxes in stencil ,under one mark ; stencil also net contents, which should be 561b exactly all through, aad ship Home a decent quantity (50 or 100 boxes) by each fortnightly steamer. The brand would become known, and if the butter were liked we could sell to arrive, and avoid charges for inspecting and sampling each new arrival. You could make Bhipmants of various grades of butter, but th n main point would be regularity— regularity in the various qualities, regularity in weights, and regularity in times of arrival. The foregoing will be worth your consideration in the meantime. During the next month or two I shall be getting out more particulars, which I will send you.— Yours, &c, W. G. Innks,