THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 163, 15 August 1914, Page 2

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

HOW IT WILL BE AFFECTED. The probable effect of the present European war upon the dairy industry, and the prospects for the coming season, formed the subject of some interesting remarks by Mr A. Morton, chairman of the National Dairy Association, at the annual meeting of the Mangorei Dairy Company, of which he is also chairman. He warned the shareholders that it would be impossible to expect the same rates of advance as in the past. The main trouble, he said,, was the uncertainty of shipping their produce to the Home market. If they could, they would be certain of realising high prices, but they might not be able to ship. It was practically certain that no sales would be made, but that every producing company would have to take the risk itself of putting its produce in the Home market, and that risk would have to be taken. They must get rid of their produce as soon as possible. It had been suggested that after the accommodation at the various freezing works had been taken up, the produce would be stored in the holds of the ships in New Zealand ports, but there was only a limited number of boats, and there would be no more arriving unless England was assured of the safety and control of her commerce on the high seas. He did not wish to make any remarks of an alarmist nature, but merely to bring home to them the ontJook, so that if they received only a moderate rate of advance, they would know that it was due to the peculiar circumstances that governed the world to-dav. If there was any chance of getting the produce 011 the English market, it would lie taken advantage of. Refer ring to the respective prospects of cheese and butter for the season, Mr Morton said it had been suggested by some people that this would be used to feed the armies. Possibly this might be so, but he pointed out the produc-

t.ion of cheese would not be lessened. New Zealand and Canada were the biggest cheese producers in the world, and their production would not be inter-' fered with. Regarding butter, he said tliat New Zealand was not a very large producer,- but. the war would greatlv interfere with the larger Continental producers. Denmark was partially or wholly and Siberia absolutely out of the question on the Home market to-day, by reason of the fact that none of the Continental production would be available for England. The conditions in New Zealand and Australia were exceedingly bright for high prices, but it would cost "something to get the produce on the market.