BUTTER AND CHEESE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4232, 17 January 1940, Page 8

BUTTER AND CHEESE

GREAT BRITAIN’S IMPORT TRADE. SUPPLIES AND PRICES. In their forty-fifth annual review of the imported dairy produce trade of the United Kingdom for the 12 months ended June 30, 1939, W. Weddell and Company, Ltd., state that in recent years the political factor has had an increasing influence upon trade and industry in every country in the world. The year just ended was no exception. Practically every activity—social, economic and political—was dominated by war and the threat of war. In Great Britain the year saw a gathering momentum in rearmament, one of the results of which was a great expansion in employment, and therefore in the consumption of foodstuffs. On the other hand, many businesses not connected directly or indirectly with the armaments industry, more specially the luxury trades, continued in a state of depression, so that in spite of the large decrease in unemployment and the great activity in many industries, prices of foodstuffs, wholesale and retail, were not affected to any great extent. Indeed, the wholesale price level of dairy produce was lower in 1938-39 than in the previous year. Supplies available were always more than sufficient for the immediate requirements of the trade, and at times stocks were considered to be rather excessive. SUPPLIES OF BUTTER. The total imports of butter into the United Kingdom during the year were 471,990 tons, valued at £50,170,399, as compared with 474,114 tons in 193738, a decrease of 2124 tons, or 0.45 per cent. The quantity received from

British sources was 240.453 tons, or 50.90 per cent ot the total, as compared with 242,465 tons, or 51.10 per cent in the previous year. There was again a considerable decline in shipments of butter from New Zealand, which totalled only 125,346 tons, a decrease of 14,328 tons. This deficiency was partly made up by increases of 6448 tons from Australia, 2965 tons from South Africa and 3406 tons from Canada, the Irish total being practically unchanged. Russian supplies dropped out altogether, while the Argentine, which in 1930-31 shipped 21,000 tons, is now hardly a factor in the butter trade of Great Britain. Denmark sent a slightly lower quantity of butter, while Holland, the next largest supplier, shipped a record total’ of 40,943 tons, or 5832 tons more than in 1937-38. Sweden and Finland together showed little change and from other Baltic sources slightly increased supplies were received. Altogether imports from foreign countries amounted to 231,537 tons. The grand totals of arrivals of butter into the United Kingdom in the last six years have not varied by more than 3 per cent. CHEESE IMPORTS STEADY. . The total arrivals of cheese from all sources during 1938-39 were 148,982 tons, compared with 149,393 tons in 1937-38. _ The total from British sources was 133,054 tons, an increase of 1460 tons. There was another big increase in shipments from Australia, which has trebled its export of cheese to Great Britain in the last two years. The two main cheese producing countries, New Zealand and Canada, both supplied smaller totals, the decreases being 3322 tons and 3572 tons respectively, but from Africa there was a record total of 2340 tons, or nearly 2000 tons more than in 1937-38. VARIATIONS IN PRICES. .Wholesale prices of butter in Great Britain were highest in July, August and September, 1938, and in January and February, 1939, and lowest in

November and December, 1938, and in May, 1939. Cheese quotations were fairly steady till January, 1939, and fell to their lowest point in May. The range of quotations over the 12 months for Danish batter was between 120 s and 1525; New Zealand butter fell to 104 s and rose to 1265, with Australian a few shillings lower. The averages; for the year were 134 s for Danish, 116 s 6d for New Zealand, 113 s 10s for Australian and 109 s 9d for Argentine, the last being on the market for only part of the year. New Zealand, Australian and African cheese ranged between 47s and 73s a cwt, with averages of 66s 6d, 63s 6d and 62s 3d respectively. The average for Canadian cheese was 74s 2d. Retail prices of butter and cheese fluctuated according to supplies available and the necessity, or otherwise, of reducing stocks. The average for the year must have been about Is 3d a lb for best Dominion butter and 7d a lb for cheese. Compared with most other countries, the British public was fortunate in being able to purchase such nutritious articles of diet at that level.