Australian and New Zealand Cheese and Butter.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2531, 29 September 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

Australian and New Zealand Cheese and Butter.

We have watehed with considerable interest the development of this industry at the Antipodes, and are surprised at the quantities of Cheese and Butter that come to this market and do not find the proper outlet, by being consigned to houses not engaged in the business, who in turn have to send the good 3 to Brokers or Merchants for sale. This is partly owing to the iufancy of the trade, and to the fact that Loan Companies arc the only agencies who have to any extent made advances against the product, aud it is only reasonable that their interest on money and charges should exceed the Merchauts. Now that the trade is increasing, we have thought it advisable to obtain the most reliable information — Messrs Cruikshank & Lovell, of Lower Thames Slreet, E.C., one of the largest importers of dairy produce in tho United Kingdom, are in the coming season to be represented by agents and merchants in Australia and New Zealand, who will make advances on behalf of the firm or purchase the goods outright, they inform us, that tho demand for fiuest cheese and butter is alwayß good, and that it is only low and secondary qualities that aro slow of sale at irregular prices. Apart from the English make of cheese and butter which is very large, tho enormous importation can hardly bo credited, and yet there is no surplus; dairy produce is selling at a price that pays the farmer better than any other product o£ the farm. To givo some idea of the extent of the trado the following figures which are official will be of interest to our readers. In 1887 tho imports of cheese from all countries into the kingdom were 1,834,407 cwt., representing a money value of £4,508,937; of this 759,403 cwt, c«me fronji

the United States, and 231,837 owt. came from Canada, Holland sent 362,014 cwt., France, 30,260 cwt., and other countries ;")0,593 cut. The butter imports were in 1887 2,788,000 cwt., the value being £11,586,717 ; from the imports of butter lias to bo deducted 1,273,095 cwt. of Butterine, now called Margarine, and under the new name the consumption has largely decreased. Of butter and butter substitutes we import tlio produce of not less than 1,400.000 cows—nearly 36 per cent, over and above the number of cows kept in this country—and tin! quantity is still increasing, when it is stuted that the number of cows in the United States in ISBO wbh 12,443,000, and in Canada in 1881 there were 3,")14,959 cown, yet in 1887 Canada sont 631,837 cwts. of cheese against 7.')9 1 163 cwts. from America, thus showing the superior make and preference given to Cannd.'i, and therein every prospect of a similar attention being given to the mako of cheese and butter in Australia and New Zealand. The excellence of the best qualities' of cheese and butter have been a surprise to many, and with an improved factory system, and prompt shipment in cool chambers, before any old flavour is shown, we predict that the competition with Canadian and our own make will be keen, Mesers Cruikshank & Lovell have received returns from the Custom House of all the cheese and butter shipped to London, from Australia and Nr>w Zealand from Ist November, 1887, mi '1 30th Juno ISBB, and the result ia u.-, o lows: New Zealand, 36,017 cwts of butier and 25.320 cwts of cheese; Australia —New South Wales, 7,771 cwta butter, Victoria, 3,012 cwts butter, and during the period meutioned, only 137 cwts. cheese, 94 owts. of which came from New South Wnles, and 43 cwts. from Queensland, but when the firm mentioned turns over more than 60,000 cwts. of cheese alone from Canada and the United States, apart from Continental butters, &c, and that the estimated consumption of cheese in Great Britain is notv about 61bs per head, as against 21bs in IS6O, and still increasing, there is a market here for all the fine cheese and butter Australia and New Zealand can send us.—Australian Trading World.