The Pahiatua Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1923. DAIRY PRODUCE MARKET.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 31433, 13 April 1923, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1923. DAIRY PRODUCE MARKET.

Tile visit- to this district of Sir ' homas Clement, head of the firm of Andrew Clement and Sons. Ltd., of London, Glasgow, and Liverpool, will have served a very useful purpose if it causes dairy farmers to do some hard thinking about their own business, especially if they have not been used to think of tilings on a large scale. Dairy farmers probably were aware, to a certain extent, of the magnitude of tlieir business, our a person can be aware of certain things without possessing any real appreciation of their actual value, and this is probably the situation in which the producers- of butter and cheese find themselves to-day. For instance, it is an interesting fact that while Canada produces 30,000 tons of cheese per annum, New Zealand produces 60.000 toils, just double the quantity. \\ ith regard to butter, the same tale can be told. It is not realised that the Dominion today is not- only the dairy farm of the Empire, but is actually the dairy farm of the world! To be told ttns by none other than Sir Thomas Clement, who is a world’s authority on dairy produce, must, bring borne to all tile importance of the business of dairy farming. How many dairy farmers realise that for the season 1921-22 the value of the butter shipped from these shores reached £0.011,554; or that the value of our cheese exports, reached £4.686.8.50? That dried and preserved milk valued at £520,650 was manufactured and sold overseas ? Actually dairy farmers of this Dominion exported £14,258,054 of dairy produce, besides having enough for the people of New Zealand. This is over one-third of the Dominion’s total exports. and is an amazing tiling to contemplate. Is it any wonder that practical visitors from overseas predict an astonishing future for the “World’s Dairy Farm?” Sir Thomas Clement was outspoken in his censure of the Dominion’s methods of marketing. in tact, he appeared to think there, was no method at all, and this seems just criticism, in the light- of the facts which were laid before the gathering. Something is radically wrong when it is possible in times of peace for New Zealand produce to bei off the Home markets for eight weeks in the middle of the season ! Surely, th.-re is some remedy, and if so, it should be quickly applied. Sir Thomas said that the value of the Dominion’s produce is first of all in quality, and secondly’, in continuity of marketing. These are the two essentials. The first is bring achieved ; the second is being attempted. Every effort should at- once be made to remedy the existing state of affairs. A remedy will mean millions of money to the dairy farmers now, and in the near future. If.the shipping ring is responsible for the poor service, then people who are paying one million

pounds sterling per annum in ocean freight, ns the dairy farmers are doing, ought to be in a position to offer such inducements to other shipping companies ns will compel them to step in and cater for the ocean carrying of dairy produce. Il the visit to the Dominion of Sir Thomas Clement does nothing else but stir the dairy farmers to action in ti e direct' i < securing better shipping fa-» than at present exist, we > hesitation in saying that it " ill conferred a very great boon on Dominion as a whole, an I ':: thee dairy farmer in particular. The question of shipping in coiuiectiejn w ith dairy produce will be con ide-reel by the directors of the National Dairy Association at their meeting on April 25tlr- when it is expected that the siibject will be well discussed as a result of the remarks made on the subject by Sir Thomas Clement.