RIVAL BUTTERS

Taranaki Daily News, 17 June 1932, Page 9

RIVAL BUTTERS

PRICES AND DEMAND.

INTERESTING ANALYSIS.

The Empire Marketing Board conducted an inquiry into the changes in the demand for butter in Nottingham between July, 1928, and July, 1931. Nottingham was chosen as being centrally situated in regard to the main ports of entry into Great Britain ot the various types.of butter. Both surveys were undertaken in July, when ■supplies of butter from the Northern Hemisphere are about at their highest. Between 1928 and 1931 the total imported supplies increased by about 23 per cent.; the greater part of this increase came from Australia and New

Zealand. There was also an appreciable increase in supplies from the Nortn European countries, with the exception of the Irish Free State and Russia. During this period the Board of Trade index for wholesale food, prices recorded, a fall lof 28 per cent., while the wholesale prices of best quality New Zealand ancr Danish butters fell by 38 per cent, and 35 per cent, respectively. Between 1928 and 1931 the averageretail price of butter in the shops vis- j ited fell from approximately Is 9d per lb to Is 3d per lb. Over the same period,

the weekly sales of butter in these shops increased from 458 cwts. to 526 cwts., or by 15 per cent. Tim proportion of I these sales taken by Empire . butters j rose from 24 per cent, to 27 per cent. I While butter sales increased by 68 I cwts. per week the sales of margarine decreased by 34 cwts. In 1928 and 1931, respectively, packeted butter averaged 3d per lb and 2d per lb more than tho general average for bulk butters. Danish was the highest priced of the principal imported butters, with an average price ot Is 9d per lb in 1928 and Is 3d per lb in 1931. Empire butters also fell In price by abont 6d per lb, the average price of New Zealand being Is 8-Jcl in 1928 and Is 2d in 1931, while, the corresponding prices for Australian were Is 7-Jd and Is lid respectively. The price of English farm butter was above that of all the imported bulk butters, but this butter was seldom found in the retail shops visited.

Sales of Danish butter were by far the greatest of any one type, and accounted for 61 per cent, of the total in 1928 and 58 per cent, in 1931.- There was a definite increase in the sales of Empire butters, Australian increasing by 44 per’ cent, and New Zealand by 25 per cent. Empire butters as a proportion of the total increased- from 24 per cent, to 27 per cent. The report calls attention to the fact that a large decrease in the retail price of butter is accompanied by a correspondingly large increase in consumption. Thus a 25 per cent, fall in price was accompanied by a 12 per cent, rise in sales, and a 30 per. cent, fall in price by a 15 per cent, rise in sales.