THE BUTTER MARKET

Southland Times, Issue 22728, 2 November 1935, Page 12

THE BUTTER MARKET

TRANSITORY REASONS FOR HIGH PRICES It would be foolish to expect present prices of butter to be maintained for any length of time. The reasons for the higher values of the present are transitory. Some Continental butter has got into Germany instead of it all being dumped on the British market, writes C. E. Cuming in the Waikato Times. In the first nine months of this year Denmark sent to Britain 84,998 tons, against 100,283 tons, in the corresponding period of last year, but in the same period Russia increased its exports to Britain from 18,542 tons to 21,963 tons, the Netherlands increased from 13,612 tons to 18,670 tons, Latvia from 6847 tons to 8034 tons, and Lithuania from 5772 tons to 6833 tons. Other Continental countries and the Argentine sent reduced amounts, but many of the Continental countries are concentrating on the British market. Take the case of the Netherlands, which sent in the first nine months of this year 18,670 tons, whereas in the corresponding period of 1933 she only sent 6904 tons. And the Netherlands are also increasing their cheese shipments to Britain. Take the figures for the '( st nine months of the past three years: 1933, 4371 tons; 1934, 4422 tons; 1935, 7818 tons. Switzerland is also being forced to give more attention to British markets. She increased her cheese shipments from 513 tons in the first nine months of 1933 to 866 tons in the corresponding period of this year. The total imports of butter into Britain for the first nine months of this year fell from 383.981 tons last year to 374,629 tons, while cheese imports fell from 112 329 tons to 102,340 tons.