BUTTER AND CHEESE MARKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3099, 6 August 1913, Page 22

BUTTER AND CHEESE MARKET.

THE CHEESE MARKET. Mr J. R Scott,, secretary of the South Island' Dairy Association, reports that about two-thirds of the coming season’s output of cheese in the Soutli Island have been sold at from 6RI per lb, f.0.b., to 6id, on truck. He further states that buyers have not been so active during the past few days, and that at present 6Jd, f.0.b., is about tho best offer, buyers being plentiful at that figure. Mr Scott says that in the North Island there has been little or no buying, but tiiat Kaupokonui, Kaponga, Mangatoki. and other largo Taranaki ouifiuts have been fixed on consignment at an advance of s|d, without recourse, this consignment covering a block of about 12,000 tons of cheese for tho season. As is only natural, continued Mr Scott, when this consignment business was known in London buyers there slackened off, ns they know they can, and probably will, bo under-sold by those who have secured this cheese under the advance without recourse, for it is generally the practice of those buyers who advance without recourse to sol! at least a portion forward to cover the advance. Mr Scott states that he has received several cablegrams informing him that the

Canadian make of cliccso will bo short ownng to continued dry weather. Seeing 1 y 1 at the Agent-general’s cablegram yesterday sa\s that the Homo make of cheese is u se somewhat less than usual, it is not improbable that buyers may ere long come on again more briskly for the New Zc-aknd outputs. BUTTER IN COOL STORE. WELLINGTON, Julv 51. The following figures show the quantity of butter in cool store at various ports of' the dominion to-day Auckland, 3751 boxes; New Plymouth, 1734 boxes; Patca, 2070 boxes; Wellington, 4519 boxes; Lyttelton, 1304 boxes; Dunedin, 394 boxes';—total’ 13.872 boxes. The total on July 31, 1912! was 27,280 boxes. ’ NEW ZEALAND BUTTER. (I* Rom Our own Corresronuent.) AUCKLAND, August 4. That the quality of New Zealand butter exported to the Old Country this season has not been of a lower standard than that of the previous year is the opinion of the loading butter exporters in Auckland. Rocently a cablegram was received from London stating that New Zealand butter had not fully maintained the progress recorded a year ago, not the same proportion of choicest quality being exported. Inquiries upon the subject wore made and one firm stated that of the many hum dreds of tons of butter it sent Home on’y isolated complaints regarding the quality had. been received, and these were not of a more serious nature than had been experienced in previous seasons. The quality of New Zealand butter had not declined. The anticipations of good prices held at the beginning of the season wore not realised, prices being very much lower than it was expected would bo the case. Consequently those people in England who bought butter ahead suffered a severe loss. As a rule, in a season of bad prices more complaints ns to quality were received than when the market was bright. The standard of the butter sent to Vancouver was highly praised. This season's bad prices were attributed to the unpreccdented’y fine English winter last year, which had the eh*i c of placing Home supplies on a much higher level than was expected, and the fact that the good prices of the preceding year had stimulah cl the consumption of substitutes, such as margarine. A somewhat different view of the matter was expressed by another business man. New Zealand butter, lie said, had not declined in juice. In the season before last the returns were very much lower than those of this year. It-was not a just: comparison to choose a record year like last year and compare it with this year. ‘‘ It is the o'd story,” lie remarked. ” When any produce is at the tojt of the wave sellers have a difficulty in adjusting to normal conditions again.” Last year’s prices, he said, had never been topped. Five years ago New Zealand butter could be bought for 9RI, but two years ago quantities of N. w Zealand butter wore purchased at the latter end of the season at 10 l-3d. “ Our butter this year” lie went on, “bus netted a higher price than the average for the last live years The amount of butter that we send to the Home market in comjnirisen to Australia does not affect the market to any groat extent. Present conditions arc due entirely to the law of supply and demand.’'