The Danish Case for Higher Butter Price

Wanganui Chronicle, 4 October 1947, Page 5

The Danish Case for Higher Butter Price

( N.Z. P. A.—Special—Copyright.) London, Oct. I.' The Danes ai'e upset at Britain's refusal to pay them higher prices for their butter, reports a "Daily Mail” correspondent from Copenhagen. When it is pointed out that the prices they are asking are considerably higher than those Britain pays to Australia and New Zealand, they reply, “Yes, but the Commonwealth farmers have not had to meet the terrific increases in costs of animal feeding stuffs, maize and oil-cakes that we have. The Czechs and Russians are willing to pay the price we ask.” The Danes, continues the correspondent, say that their farmers are losing money, and that if the farmers go bankrupt the whole country will go down with them. Less passionate Danes, however, say that the Danish farmer is not doing at all badly, though the drought this summer hit him hard; that he is inclined to measure his cash returns today against the profits he made during the war, which were considerable. Britain has captured almost the whole of Denmark's pre-war trade with Germany, and it depends on what happens to the Danes' dairy produce whether Britain can keep it.