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price from £5 12s. to £1 Bs. per hundredweight, as shown in recent shipments, if, as Professor Long says, " they only knew how" to send it in the right way. Nor is there any end to the profitable extension of the dairy industry by our small farmers, especially having regard to the differing times of summer and winter in the two hemispheres, and their effect on the winter supply in London, if only scientific teaching were brought to their doors, as it is to the farmers' doors in Sweden and Denmark. How to do this in the best and most economical way, and meet the varying conditions of soil and climate in the two Islands, is the essence of the problem ; and the advice of a famous expert on the spot would, I venture to think, be of incalculable value. It will, perhaps, be in your recollection that when the salmon ova were being sent out a plan had to be devised for keeping the temperature of the cool-chamber during the whole voyage within a range of two or three degrees ; and nothing would be easier than to apply the same plan to the shipments of butter and cheese—a point, of course, of the greatest importance—to which Professor Long's attention will be carefully given in his report. Throughout the past winter here, Australian apples have, for the first time, been in supply in the London market, so that the novelty is at least established of having that fruit on the table all the year round. And as New Zealand butter can best be sent over from October to March, it can come to London just at the time when it is most wanted, and take part of the place of the foreign butter that now holds the field. It is simply a question, as Professor Long says in his letter to me, of "knowing how," and he is the very man who can make our farmers know how. So strongly have I been impressed with the value that a visit from an expert of such high authority would be, that I sent you a message yesterday asking you to let me arrange, if possible, with Mr. Long, as the best thing you could do for the dairy industry. The British Dairy Farmers' Association will hold their dairy show early in October, and I beg leave to suggest that you should endeavour to induce some of our farmers to send exhibits of butter and cheese, but only of the very best quality, and packed in handy and attractive packages. If such exhibits were sent te me, the farmers might rely on their being shown to the best advantage. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. F. D. Bell.

Section I.—IMPORT INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM. The extent to which the trade in dairy produce has grown in this country is very great. I append some tables, which show that in the last five years —Ist January, 1883, to 31st December, 1887 — nearly 12,424,000cwt. (621,200 tons) of butter, and 9,124,000cwt. (456,200 tons) of cheese, have been imported into the United Kingdom, of the aggregate value of more than eighty millions sterling. The import during 1887 was 2,788,000cwt. (139,400 tons) of butter, value £11,887,000 ; and of cheese 1,834,000cwt. (91,700 tons), value £4,500,000. The average of the five years was more than 124,000 tons of butter and butterine, and 91,000 tons of cheese; together an import of more than 215,000 tons, of the aggregate average value of £16,230,000 per annum. For the last three years—lBBs,lBB6, and 1887 —the greater part of the imported butter has come from Denmark and France. In 1887, out of a total import of 1,515,000cwt., 903,000cwt. were from those two countries, while Germany and Holland sent 321,000cwt., and Canada 32,000cwt. Of butterine, by far the largest quantity comes from Holland, 1,170,000cwt. out of 1,273,000cwt. coming in 1887. The largest import of cheese is from Canada and the United States, 1,391,000cwt. coming in 1887, out of a total of 1,834,000cwt.; Canada sent 631,000cwt., and Holland came next with 362,000cwt. I also append a table showing the production and consumption of butter in the chief countries of Europe, and the surplus or deficiency of each. Europe produces 651,000 tons of butter, and consumes 681,000 tons ; the United States and Canada produce 404,000 tons, and consume 374,000 tons, leaving 30,000 tons for export. The production of butter in the United Kingdom is only 90,000 tons, while the consumption exceeds 205,000 tons, so that each year more than 115,000 tons have to be imported. In 1860 only 840,000cwt. of butter were imported, and 583,000cwt. of cheese, less than a third of what was imported in 1887. England is now by far the largest consumer of butter in Europe, and for all practical purposes, so far as supply from New Zealand is concerned, the market may be termed unlimited.

Imports of Dairy Produce (Trade and Navigation Accounts to December, 1887, published in January, 1888).

Quantity. Value. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1885. 1886. 1887. 'utter — Denmark Germany Holland France Canada United States Other countries Cwt. 377,447 143,482 307,861 450,933 36,259 77,588 159,732 Cwt. 400,556 119,154 359,013 402,620 31,348 42,336 188,377 Cwt. 487,603 156,4301 164,474 416,067 32,623 52,329 205,379 £ 2,117,831 788,899 1,661,3801 2,578,618 146,166 314,062 899,248 & 2,194,905 611,548 |1,775,454 2,264,001 119,970 160,391 1,013,919 £ 2,669,12, 793,57' 851,46' 2,264,66' 139,56i 213,71! 1,084,65 Totals 1,553,302 1,543,404 1,514,905 3,506,204 8,140,188 8,016,76'