UNCONTROLLED STOCKS

Southland Times, Issue 20014, 30 October 1926, Page 7

UNCONTROLLED STOCKS

DAIRY BOAKD*B POUUY. MR MOTION ON STORAGE*. THE BOARD’S NW LONDON OFFICES. London, September 22. Although the headquarters of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board are not actually in the Tooley street area, they are not far away. The river lies between, but from the windows of the new offices the barges may be seen being unloaded at the back of Tooley street stores. A few months ago the board took temporary offices at the north side of Adelaide House. Now they have got into their permanent offices on the south side. Adelaide House is a new tenstory building on the quay side immediately north of Loiwlon Bridge. The new offices are on the fourth floor, and the windows command a full xiew of the Pool of London. The private rooms of the members of the board and of the European manager have windows looking towards Tower Bridge. The main room is a spacious and airy ajrartment, and, of course, is capable of being partitioned off into sections. ROTORUA BRINGS FIRST SHIPMENT. It is difficult for a New Zealander to conform to the congested and electric-light-ed offices in most parts of the city, and in choosing these sunlit rooms Mr W. C. Motion has realised that the l>oard will get the best work out of its employees if their surroundings are pleasant. Mr J. B. Wright, the Eurofiean manager, has taken up his quarters in the office, and a staff will be accumulated as there is work for them to do. The first shipment of butter under the control of the Ixianl is on its way by the Rotorua. Not until that arrives will the board and the trade generally know the actions and reactions which will be brought alxiut by the new system of marketing. The opinion is expressed by Tooley street merchants that there is at present in store in England about a miUfon ruses of butter. Some of this has been hekl for several months and is deteriorating in quality. Over 170/- could have been obtained for mudi of this some weeks ago. The price to-day is 160/- to 164/ . Factories in New Zealand have cabled their agents to bold for higher prices, but there is very little hope of these prices being realised, at least for the stored butter. It is considered that if the surplus is to be got rid of, mijph of it will have to be disposed of at a tery low figure. No one, of curse, wants this stale butter when it is possible to get a fresher lot, and no one will buy large quantities of the stale commodity when the new season’s is not far off. FAR STTtmGER POSITION. In these circumstances the Dairy Produce Board is likely to have a difficult time at first It should be able to obviate tha holding up of butter at the wrong time, however. In this respect it will be in a far stronger position than the private agent, who has to conform to the dictates of various factories in the matter of holding or selling when he knows very well they are doing absolutely the wrong thing. “We realise,” said Mr Motion, “that ow quantity of New Zealand dairy produce is only a portion of that imported into Great Britain, and wo have to sell it at times in line with the smaller quantities exported from other countries. With the importation from the Northern Hemisphere increasing it is essential to have an organisation in London to supervise, and to advise New Zealand as to the best procedure to follow from time to time. Although there has been a great deal of bitter controversy among those who have been opposed to the establishment of our organisation, our only desire is to work in harmony with the merchants and endeavour to increase the consumptive demand and to cultnmte a preference for our produce. ‘“The Dairy Board has nothing to do with the produce in store at the present time, although quite a number of people have endeavoured to impress upon the public that the board has been responsible for the storage of large quantities of both butter and cheese. Although the importation of dairy produce from the Northern Hemisphere has been on the increase, the imports from the Southern Hemisphere have been decidedly less. It is estimated that there has been an importation of 10,000 tons less from the Southern into Great Britain from January to July of this year than there was for the same period last year. That fact disposes, therefore, of the accuaations against New Zealand. The tow prkas ruling to-day are entirely accounted for by the industrial position. When a million and a half people are unemployed the prices of all commodities must be affected. So long M the staike eontnmee the econonacal ACa». wAxtund to grow wne."