MEAT AND CHEESE EXPORTS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27397, 9 July 1954, Page 6

MEAT AND CHEESE EXPORTS

HARBOUR BOARD AWARDS PRESENTED “The average modem vessel which takes primary produce from these shores is considerably larger than that which traded some years ago, and principally for that reason extensions are necessary to our port,” said the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr F. E. Sutton) when he presented the board’s cup for the district export lamb competition to Mr E. J. Whyte, of Waipara, at a meeting of the board. *

“While it is true that these larger vessels bring imports to New Zealand, it is equally true that they carry away the produce that pays for the imports,” said Mr Sutton. “Therefore it is not correct, as has been stated in some quarters, to say that the contemplated improvements are for one section only.”

Members of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association were present at the function. Mr Sutton also presented the board’s challenge cup for export dairy cheese to Mr L. R. Atkinson, manager of the Pigeon Bay Co-operative Dairy Factory. A total- of 15,000 crates had been received from the Peninsula factories this year, and that was within 200 crates of last year’s total, said Mr Sutton. The question of cool storage charges was usually raised at the function, and he thought it advisable to point out that although the board’s accounts appeared to be higher, it must be remembered that they included eight weeks’ storage as well as f.o.b. charges on the cheese, said Mr Sutton. That method of charging had been adopted at the request of the New Zealand Dairy Products Marketing Commission, which reimbursed the companies for those charges in the guaranteed price for cheese. In arriving at the guaranteed phice the New Zealand average storage and f.o.b. charges were taken into account, and as he understood that at Lyttelton those charges were less than the average, the companies consigning cheese through the board’s stores were in a more favourable position than most other New Zealand companies.