NEW ZEALAND DAIRY PRODUCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11952, 31 March 1894, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND DAIRY PRODUCE

1 FURTHER REPORT FROM MR. LOWE, A further report from Mr S. Lowe ' (Government Dairy Expert in London] hue just come to hand. It is dated Febj ruary 2nd, And is of an interesting nature £ NEGLECTED BVTTEK, Mr. Lowe Bays :— ln one of ray prei vious reports I spoke of finding 472 . boxes and 54 kegs of the Tongariro'e butter lying in the shed at the Albert Docks, exposed to all the changes of tern- • porature and virtually unprotected from all the dangers such exposure entails, • during a period of about a month — in p fact, until the Buapehu arrived. I have : now further to report that 354 boxes f and 120 kegs of the lluapehu'a buttei t have, until the last few days, been subs jected to similar treatment. There can s bo little doubt but that the quality hue > depreciated considerably since they were ', landed, and therefore whoever eatß them • will not have so good an opinion of New £ Zealand butter as they would have if the 1 quality had not been depreciated. They 1 will thus give New Zealand butter a bud j! name. IBUBGULAB SHIPMENTS. It is almost impossible to over-estimate s the damage done to the butter trade of ) the colony by the withdrawal of those i steamers that formerly brought their - cargoes regularly every fortnight. This • ] season the arrival of New Zealand butter - has been most spasmodic, and consec quently buyers have turned their atten- • tion to Australian, where regularity of " arrival week by week is a certainty. It would be an immense advantage if the Government would follow the example of j Victoria and secure from the shipping I companies a regular service for next sea- , son. If this service were fortuightly, , | and so arranged that each vessel brought about un equal quantity, it would be a still further advantage. Nothing demoralises a market more than one week to flood it with butter and th 6 next starve it. COLD STORAGE IN THE COLONY. Along with this questionjof securing fortnightly and equal shipments arises that of cold storage in the colony. Every cargo of butter that arrives demonstrates the inadequacy of the present supply, I feel pretty confident, from a long exparience of inspecting New Zealand butter on its arrival, that when it is first made, it is mostly sweet. It is the practice of keeping it under the house, or other cool places, instead of being able to despatch it straight oft' to a freezing chamber, that causes so much of it to become rank and realise comparatively low prices. Tbe butter is damaged before reaching the ship's frozen or cool chamber, by either getting too hot in the farmer's house or factory store, or on the railway down to the port, or in the holds of the coasting steamers. To mend this deplorable state of tilings is the first duty of the Government. THE BUTTEII MARKET. The butter market this week has been in a very uncertain condition, and as Danish has fallen another four shillings, it will require all the energies of the Butter Committee to keep up the price of colonial. The Danes are dptermined to bid for the market, and have lowered the price for that purpose. During the last month in London colonial butter has been selling so much below its intrinsic value that buyers have neglected Danish, and the consequence is there are large accumulations in the north of EDgland and the Midlands which must be worked off, and a lower price has been fixed with this object. Stlil the Oceana's butter has gone off so well, and the Orient has such a small cargo, that it will be difficult for the Danish manoeuvre to affect the price of colonial. SHAltr PKAOTIOE. I have heard this week on excellent authority from a gentleman whom I can unhesitatingly believe, that an importer in Tooley street bought about 80 boxes of New Zealand butter with tho brand " Taranaki " marked on iv large letters. Yet on one side of these boxes, in equally bold letters, was the announcement "Made in Victoria." Now 1 have no doubt but that this was done because Victorian butter is becoming popular. There are not many grocers or wholesale dealers who have sufficient geographical knowledge to detect this error. It may perhaps appear only a small matter, but the utmost presaution will be taken to discover if the author of this mancouvre intends to carry on his nefarious practice. If he does, an action under the Mercantile Marks Act will teach him a very salutary lesson. I'OULTHY MARKET. Mr. Lowe mentions that Mr. Tonkin, a Timaru gentleman, has been prospecting the English market for an opening for frozen hares and rabbits, but with indifterent success. He thinks, however, that the prospect of a trade in fowls is good. In this the poulterers of the London market agree with him. The fowls should arrive herb as chickens during the months of March, April, and May. It would ba bettor still if they could roach us by the middle of February. Ducks could be included with oqual chances of a good sale; but these kiuds of poultry will requiro to be properly dressed and then frozen. It is useless sanding them in thoir feathers. Thoyshould be trussed before freezing and sent hero in cases ready for roasting. If ordinary fowls, such as a cross between the game and dorking, were sent in good condition, they woul.d realise from 4s to 63 a couple, according to quality, and ducks 5s to 7s.