THE PRICE OF BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1924, Page 7

THE PRICE OF BUTTER.

DAIRY COMPANY'S COMPLAINT., NO REASON FOR REDUCTION. By Telegraph—Press Association. Opotiki, Last- Night. In an interview concerning the: reduction in the price of butter atAuckland, Mr. H. it. Hogg (chairman ! of 'the Opotiki Dairy Association) pointed out that his company supplied a large'proportron of the butter consumed in Auckland, ami naturally felt sore at the action taken of one big reduction in prices when apparently there was no good reason for a reduction ip view of the state of the English market and offers received by the Opotiki Company quite recently. According to the latest London quotations the f.qjb. parity for first grade butter is Is 8d per lb. Allowing 1 1-4(1 for local marketing costs, the wholesale price of butter' to-day should be Is 9%d. The New Zealand Cooperative Dairy .Company, however, is selling at Is 4|d downwards. Opotiki and some other companies decline to conform to the latest reduction in which attitude they are supported by the Groceers’ Association. His company objected to basing prices on suppositions concerning future values, considering the only true basis for local prices was t'he London parity. For many years the butter committee fixing Auckland prices worked on this basis. Mr. Hogg added that it was unfortunate that one co-operative company, in endeavouring to obtain control of the Auckland market, should make reductions so seriously affecting its own sup.pliers, as, well as other dairy prodiK-ers.