BUTTER EXPORT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 289, 9 May 1914, Page 13

BUTTER EXPORT TRADE.

THE AMERICAN MARKET.

WHAT THE STRIKE COST.

Matters relating to the Dominion's export trade in dairy produce were discussed by Mr. Wesley Spragg in an interview with a Dominion reporter on Wednesday. Mr Spragg, who is head of the New Zealand Dairy Association, one. of the biggest manufacturing and trading concerns', handling dairy! produce, in the Dominion, returned by the Ruahine from a business trip to England and America.

Mr Spragg was in London in time to observe the effect at the other end »f the strike in New Zealand. "1 found," he said, "that it caused tremendous dislocation in the market in England. Six shipments of dairy produce came to hand in ten days. This was in itself enough to cause serious dislocation, and the butter dealers at Home made no attempt to improve the position, but continued to bring on the market consignments already in store, thus accentuating the ■glut. From information gathered from the most reliable authorities I believe that on an average' -we have lost on our last year's production three or four chilings per hundredweight as a result of the strike, and those who know what the production of butter in Sew Zealand is can multiply up and find what the strike troube actually cost New Zealand, and from that they may imagine how ruinously serious for the producer would have been any extension of it." Asked as to his opinion of the prospects of a market for New Zealand butter in America, he said: "In Vancouver and down the Western Coast of America the prospects on the occasion of my j visit weru exceedingly promising. The Customs and Pure Food Departments j were most punctilious in the matter «f detecting the slightest trace of boric ! acid in butter. A trace of horic acid [ in butter is sufficient to bar its entry j into American markets. ] bail a long interview with ])r Alsburg, Chief of the Pure Food in Washington, and I also saw various Customs and Internal Revenue chiefs in the capital, witli the object of getting the"* Departments to accept the New Zealand's Government's certificates as a guarantee of the absence of boric compounds from New Zealand butter.. Far from showins any prejudice against our products, these* officials seemed if anything to ha favorably disposed towards our butter. I found that the Federal Government accepted a similar certificate to ours from countries of origin in regard to matches, as a guarantee of the absence of yhosnhorus. 1 pleaded this as n precedent tor the acceptance of the New Zealand certificate for butter.

"I am of opinion, however, tlint the American market cannot at once be exploited. American methods of trading are in many respects different from those .-of liritish communities, and of necessity it will lie a long' time before we can foe] our way into an extensive trade with the United States. Everywhere, however, .a keen interest wiis shown' in the prospects of commerce between America ami New Zealand.

"Mr-Sprang spoke also of New Zealand butter in the .English market. "Denmark," he said, "still holds premier place in the Home market because, it is only a few days from it, imd supplies can' be so arranged that the trade is carried on with the minimum of trouble and an absence of risk. As the trade can be eani"d on with such ease, traders would never gico up their preference for Dani-h butler, even if better 'butter ;froml elsewhere were offering. The Danish producers and merchants arts able to provide supplies with the utmost regularity, and this is one of the factors •winch will always aid them in holding premier place in the English market. "1 should like to take this my first opportunity," he concluded, "of acknowledging the always rcadv belli in my business investigations which I received from the Hon. Thos. Mackenzie, and the whole staff of the High Commissioner's office. I should also like to acknowledge .the valuable assistance which Mr Ellison, the representative of the National Dairy Acssociation. so courteously gave to mc."