SIBERIAN BUTTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 112, 14 May 1931, Page 8

SIBERIAN BUTTER

SHIPMENTS TO ENGLAND THE MARKET STILL FIRM (By Telegraph—Press Association— C’pyright] LONDON, May 12. The principal importers of Australian and New Zealand butter do not anticipate that Siberian arrivals are likely to affect prices. Actually the market today is firmer and prices are shillings above Thursday’s quotations. New Zealand choicest salted, 107 s; Australian 105 s. Russian is selling at 98s, which shows about the usual difference from Australian. The fact that 15,000 cwt. ar rived by one steamer is due to shippers allowing parcels to accumulate instead of sending 2000 cwt or 3000 cwt. per week. It is pointed out that Siberia has been one of the regular shippers for 30 years, excepting during the hiatus caused by the revolution. Arrivals from there fo r the season before rne war averaged 30,000 cwt. weekly. The imports of Siberian butter in 1928 exceeded 336,000 cwt., and in 1929 they were 290,000 cwt., while last year they totalled 165,000 cwt. Newspaper agitation against dumping is regarded as purely a political attack on the Government fiee-trade policy and the Russian policy. In this connection it is interesting to note that cooperative societies purchased abou*. 3000 cwt. of this Russian shipment. A suggestion that the Russian shippers are willing to take any price offered is regarded as farcical. They are most anxious to get the most possible price and get the money remitted as quickly as possible. Larger Shipments. A further message states that the first consignment of 15,000 barrels of Russian butter landed is obviously to feel the market preparatory to heavier shipments. It is understood that the aim of shippers is to capture a lajge share of the blending market. Australian commercial circles arc perturbed at the arrival of Soviet butter. The news leaking out that the shipments were due accounts in some measure for the recent hand to mouth buy ing and depressed prices. It is stated that importers of Australian butter now have less fear of blenders using Russian butter than of the risk that unscrupulous traders will offer Russian and other foreign makes as English and Dominion. The report of the committee inquiring into the marketing of blended butcr is anxiously awaited.