COLONIAL DAIRY PROftICE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2848, 14 October 1908, Page 8

COLONIAL DAIRY PROftICE.

MESSRS JV. WEDDEL'S REVIEW. SERIOUS FALLING OFF IN SUPPLIES. (From Oub Owx Correspondent.) LONDON, August 28. In all probability, th 9 butter famine or last February is a bitter memory to many British housewives, who were compelled for a. time to resort to the use of margarine. How tho trade was affected is "clearly shown by Messrs W. Weddel and Co., whose fourteenth annual review of tho colonial dairy produce trade, to the year ended June 30, has reached me this week. The outstanding fact was that the quan tity of butter imported into the United Kingdom, which in previous years had shown a steady increase, fell off by 18,143 tons, or 8i per cent. This was not dueto any slackening in the demand, but er.tirely to the falling off in supplies from the colonies owing- to partial drought in Australia, N?w Zealand, and Canada, ar.d one of the lessons inculcated is the extent to which people in Great Britain are dependent on oversea possessions for the supply of butter. At the outse~t Messrs Weddel observe: "The most distinguishing feature of the colonial dairy produce trade for the year ended June 30 was the very serious falling off in supplied, amounting to 21,345 ton. whioh was a decrease of over 37 per cent, from the previous year, and nearly 9$ per cent, of the total supplies from all sources. Fcv ihe three previous years supplies of colonial butter had shown an average of 55.500 ton 3, but for the year" under review they reiehed only 35,750 tons. This surprising shortage was brought about b>dirougnte in' Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Thus the strange phenomenon was presented of every source of colon iel supply being simultaneously afflicted by adverse climatic conditions, which wefe injurious alike to the colonial producers and to British consumers. The consumers in the Mother Country suffered by having to pay more for their butter, as the foreign supply alone was not, nearly sufficient tt> meet the^udden demand to fill the place of colonial makes, and consequently prices, in the United Kingdom and in Europegenerally were Higher than they had been for over 20 yeaTS. The total contribution which foreign, butter-makers were able to make toward colonial deficiency of over 21,000 toas was only 3200 tons. , "•'The.'rise in prices ought to have compensated colonial butter-makers by an increase in value for the loss caused by the ,shorf supply-, and might have done so had there beer no butter substitutes to interfere with this. Not since the year 1383 h«d butter in tho United Kingdom sold at 6Ufi'.i a higb le^pl of value, and foreign buttermakers reaped an excellent harvest out of the ecar<rfty of colonial ■supplies. "On looking broadly at the year under review," t-ontinue Messrs Weddel, "it appears to establish definitely a new conditioi which has gradually arisen during the past decado regarding the supply of butter in the winter months^ — namely, the great and growing dependency on the colonies for butter during that period. It is surprisinaf with all the advantage? of suitable and cheap transit now provided that tho foreign Ibutter-makers did not increa&e their contribution to cur ner^ds by more than a mere 3000 tons, which .va<s not quite 2 per cent, over their rupply of th-3 previous y<Jar. It is true that Siberia was afflicted like our -colonies by a droughty seison, and sent about 2000 tons less, bnt with all the attractions of «, very dear market in the United Kingdom, it was reasonable to «,uppose that other foreign supplies would have been alle to make good any deficiency of colonial butter, yet the result lias definitely established the contrary." ' D-ealing particularly with imports of butter from New Zealand, Messrs Weddel. mention that the greatest reduction in~ supplies of New_ Zealand butler evc-i knowi here was experienced during the year just ended. For live four previous yeait> t»i<im.ports had gradually declined, but t'>e shrinkage had been only small, amouiittng altogather to 1003 tons for the whole period, «gain6t a, deficiency of 3360 tons in the past year. This gr 3 at change w<is duo to two distinct causes, one unfortunate, and the other in its immediate effects profitable, whatever the ultimate results may be. Th© undesirable event was brought about by the rare phenomenon of a partial drought extending ovei a month or two. which iv pome districts, especially ■n the North laland, reduced the milk production very seriously. The other cause reducing tho export of butter wa3 the larjrj expansion in the manufacture of clic -c, which drew large quantities of milk sway from th» butter industry. Commenting upon the quality, Meesro Weddel write: "The difficulty of maintaining the quality of butter made undsr droughty conditions did not affect th- 1 reputation of the out-turn of New Zc-alano' butt2r last year. Even in the driest and 3u>tte?t. districts the flavour and texture showed no seriow depreciation from the previous year, whioh. however, wan no considered one of the best .-sasor.s foi high quality. The presence of the Dairy Commissioner for the Dominion in this country ■during the principal part of tho season, when the effects of hot weather are mo-r liable lo be seen in bulter on itt> arrivil. will no doubt have given him an insigiir, into gomo of the weak points conneo'et' with .t3 manufacture, and it is exported that the elimination of these will follow as the result of his visit. With over 97 per cent, of the export butter hav.ng boon for some years placed in tho firat grade, it 13 a question whtthor it might not no.v bo advisable to make t he gracing- mere e-evcre, and so raise the standard of qua^!-/ even higher than it i* at present." As for the prices obtained, MeSbr» Wctitlel express tho opinion that the yew unde." lv-wew wi'l '.Ong be renicxubn-ed Jm that

1 which resulted in th© highe«t rect-id for prices ever reached by New Zealand and Australian butter iv British markets. Tho record was a double- one. Not only did the prices for a week or t->vo touch abso lutely the highest figure ever obfa.'iied for both kinds, but the average price r or the six months October to Mar^h inchisue was also a record achievement. During the I panic which existed in February last both j Australian and New Zealand but. or was ' 6old up to 150s per owfc in laru^ lines, : while oven 152s to Js4s was obtained in many instances for small lots. The crisio ' affected both classe3 of butter— foreign, as well as colonial— and it is necessary to go back to the year 1883 to find equally high I prices ruling for foreign makes ; that Was before New Zealand and' Australian makes came to London The top price for Australian butter for the 6ix months ended October, 1907, to March, 1903, both months inclusive, averaged 120s lOd per cwt. New Zealand 112s i 6d. Danish 1275, and Siberian 115s 3d. For the month of February — the period of highest values — the Australian top price averaged 137s 6d per cwt, New Zealand j 139s 6d, Danish 1435. and Siberian 134s • 6d. The crisis -in February was brought about by the accumulation of deficiencies mouth by month since October. Relative to grading, Messrs Weddel note that New Zealand and Queensland stamp the grade on every box, and the svstcm works to perfection. Turning to the subject of colonial cheese. Messis Weddel state that, during the last \ five years the total quantity imported has ' baen 494.638 tons, .against 399,421 tons dur- , ing the previous five years, which shows an i annual average increase ot 19,043 tons. I though last year there was^s decrease of i 4803 tons. Recent reduction in supplies from across the ' Atlantic has give.i an op | portuniry for the Dominion of New Zei- J land to make up some of the deficiency, j •and in the past two years imports from that source have advanced from 5870 tons to 13,152 tons, and from tho dry conditiorc existing at the moment in patts of Canada present appearances are fa\ouvablo for , New Zealand to make further advances in ! the coming season. Improvement in quaI iity continues to bo shown. The interest • and care taken by the Government in i-V I manufacture and grading of New Zealand ' cheese and by the shipping companies in j j its carriage have also shown beneficial results, and there is a general acknowledgment here that both flavour and texture are batter than in former rears. A very great advance in tho prices of colonial cheese in the United Kingdom has taken ; place, and has been maintained tor the lajt j ' three years o.ver the previous three. The j . advance made on , Canadian was 9s per cwt. or 16.6 per cent., and that on New Zealand showed an increase of 7* per cwt. or 12.5 pei- cent. This rise has been ! largely brought about by the diminished [ quantity of Canadian that has reached the British markets during -the past two years. \ The quantity imported for the year ended I June 30 last was 15 per cent, beiow that of 1 two yeai-3 ago, and 10.2 r.er cent,^ below last year. ! ' v Arrivals o£ New Zealand and Australian dairy produce generally were regular without any great gluts, anct without any great paps. Damage "to butter owing to defee- j live refrigeration has become very rare. The shipping companies. -all round now succeed in givin-g a more satisfactory service r than- formerly. ■ In conclusion, Messrs "Weddel write: "So i far as can be judged at present the probability is that the average values of both butter aud cheese during the coming sumi mci will be on a. som.ow.ha.fc l«w«r level than obtained in the past season."