Dairy Produce Notes.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5270, 29 May 1895, Page 4

Dairy Produce Notes.

[COBBBSPONDBNT " CANTEBBUBY TIMIB."] London, March 29. MABGAB.NB.

The Select Committee of the House of Commonß which is engaged in an inquiry into the adulteration of food products, has been mainly concerned at its last few meetings with the question of margarine. Amongst the witnesses called was Mr 3. C. Lovell, of the well-known firm of Lovell and Christmas. This gentleman, like most of those called, desired further legislation to prevent margarine being sold as bntter. In the first place, he would like tbe mixture of butter with margarine prohibited, heavier fines imposed for selling margarine as butter, and a third conviction to carry the penalty of imprisonment.

A B-.T.NDKB.

Mr Lovell proceeded to remark upon the import of Australian and New Zealand butters, and he made the remarkable statement that pure butter conld be shipped in Australia at 3d per lb, and landed in England for 4d ! I cannot conceive how Mr Lovell could have blundered into such a etatement.: He, of all men, should have a pretty accurate idea of the extent to which the cost of producing butter in Australasia can be reduced, but Burely he does not deem 3d f.o.b. within the bounds of possibility. Perhaps Mr Lovell wanted to give the Daneß a shock, and to persuade the Argentines and Russians to turn their minds from dairying. Or. perchance, he was mis-reported. Reporters do occasionally make mistakes, £ am told

TfiBMABKBTS.

The colonial butter market remains in a dull state, and the alight weakening in prices from last week's has not stimulated the demand. The retailers have oome down to lOd for good Australian, but the increase in consumption caused by the drop is too slight to be noticed. The current quotation for Australian finest is "76a, and only a few fancy brands— such as Reynolds's "Anchor"— can bemoved at a higher ptice. I fully expect that 70s will be the top quotation for ordinary " finest " before April has gone, for no one seems to believe that holding on will do any. good, and most of the . agents are shovelling their consignments out as fast as they can, in the belief that worse is to come.

- Cheese is in no better plight, and only the very choicest New Zealand will command 4-s. Lower grades are a drug in the market, and have to be peddled ont in two's and three's at from 42a to 445. >.

BOMB OTHER SMALL MATTEBS.

I am a great admirer of enterprise, and would not willingly say one word to; damp the ardour of those good colonists who are attempting to find outlets for the surplus food products of their colonies. But I must point out that in gauging the value of our markets for hares, rabbits, poultry, eggs, and such luxuries, colonist, are apt to overlook the fact that we are already well .supplied with every artiole of food it iB possible to Bend from Australasia. The financial results of small experimental Bhipmen -3 of game, poultry, &0., timed to arrive at opportune moments, are of little value as a guide to estimating the probable returns upon regular shipments. For instanoe, a small consignment of Australian rabbits arriving in London two months ago would have realised very profitable rates, but at the present moment rabbits are plentiful aa blackberries in autumn, and the Australian shipments have cau.ed a perfect glut. Consequently prices are very low, and the Victorian and New South Waleß shippers will feel very sick when they get the returns and compare them with last year's. Probably they based their calculations, of profit upon the prices obtained twelve months sgo (lOd to ls), instead of reckoning, as they should have done, upon the rates obtained when the English markets were weU supplied with rabbits. Shortages in any class of produce never continue long in the Old Country, and are generally followed by " gluts." In calculating the possibilities of our market- in regard to any food stuff colonists should bear in mind that the supply is already equal to the demand except at irregular periods of uncertain duration . that any new supply mußt necessarily lower prices ■; that the foreigners are loth to abandon our markets, and will continue to supply us at prices which do not give them a fair profit, ,in the hope that exporters in other countries will "cry a go ;" that Australasian eggs, poultry, rabbits, &c., are not superior to the imports from France, Russia, Belgium and other continental countries ; that the Home supply of all these eatables is on the increase, and that the quality of English farm produce is I rapidly improving ; that the probability of the Mother Country adopting any Bystem of protection which would give colonial produce ah advantage over foreign is exceedingly remote. I may here remark, for the benefit of those farmers who decline to believe that 2_d a gallon for their milk is the necessary sequel to the low butter values this season, that the Russians are preparing to invade the English market with butter and cheese, and that the Argentine farmers say that 60a a owt will pay them for butter. Memo for factory folk : Don't economise on pre_ervitaß* get the best, and limit your use of it to one-half per cent.