DAIRY PRODUCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 January 1940, Page 3

DAIRY PRODUCE

DOMINION’S HEAVY DECLINE. WEDDEL’S REVIEW. Weddel's Review for the year ended June 31, 1939, gives some instructive information regarding the importations of dairy produce into England in that period. The figures are more than ordinarily interesting, in view of the fact that most of the European sources which were heavy contributors to the total are now largely out of the list of exporters because of the war and German submarine activity. The total quantity of butter imported into the United Kingdom in the year amounted to 471.990 tons, compared with 474,114 tons in the preceding year, a decrease of 0.45' per cent. The quantity received from British sources amounted to 240,453 tons, of 50.9 per cent of the total, compared with 242,465 tons, or 51.1 per cent in the previous year.

There was again a very considerable drop in shipments from New Zealand, continues the Review, which totalled only 125.346 tons, a decrease of 14,323 tons. The deficiency was partly made up by increases of 6448 tons from Australia, 2965 tons from Africa, and 3406 tons from Canada, the Irish total being practically unchanged. Amongst the foreign sources of supply, the biggest change was the disappearance of Russia. Denmark sent a slightly lower quantity, while Holland. the next largest contributor, supplied a record total of 40,943 tons, or 5,832 tons more than in 1937-38. Sweden and Finland together sent about the same, and from the Baltic countries slightly increased totals were received. Altogether, the arrivals from foreign countries amounted to 231.537 tons. The grand totals of arrivals of butter into the United Kingdom have not varied in the last six years by more than 3 per cent. The total arrivals of cheese from all sources were slightly lower at 148,982 tons than the previous year’s total, which aggregated 149.393 tons, the decrease being only 411 tons. The total from British sources totalled 133,054 tons, or 1460 tons more than in the previous year. There was another big increase in shipments from Australia, which has trebled its export of cheese to the United Kingdom in the last two years. The two main producing countries —New Zealand and Canada —both shipped smaller quantities, 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 the preceding year.

Arrivals from foreign sources consisted of 9250 tons from Holland. 3572 tons from Italy, 954 tons from Switzerland, and 1982 tons from other counI tries, the total being 15,928 tons, compared with 17,799 tons in 1937-38. In the three years from 1936-37 to 1938-39 (inclusive) butter exported from New Zealand to the United Kingdam has declined from 149,239 tons to 119,856 tons, whilst in the same period the exports of cheese have decreased from 86,154 tons to 82,719 tons. In the same period, butter from Australia has increased by 71,938 tons to 96,985 tons, and of cheese from 5599 tons to 15,799 tons.