BUTTER BARGAINING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1217, 28 August 1911, Page 8

BUTTER BARGAINING.

GOOD TIMES FOR HiODUCE. Butter buyers axo abroad in the land, and with the herd 9 all coming into profit and the prospect'of high priccs'for butter and' cheese, tho dairyman is one of tho most satisfied men in t'ho • country just now. • A good many of the factories havo started work in tho Wellington province,* and another week should see practically tho whole of them going and working on an increased milk supply as compared with last' year's figures. From all quarters reports arc ' heard of. new and ~ improved machineryinstallations and, generally, tilings may bo said to be booming. . According to a cable message received by one cheese factory, the Canadian export of cheoso fell olf by 20 per cent this season, and tho English production dropped 20 per cent'. The samo advice indicates that Gd. will be offered for cheese for tho season in New Zealand. Speaking at tho annual meeting of one of the country tompanies a representative 1 of a leading butter firm is reported to. have stated that producers have every prospect of high prices in the near future. Ho held out this hope because of the proposed agreement between tho United States and Canada. The result of t'iiis would be that a great deal of tho Canadian output would be consumed by the Americans, thus leaving «i free market at Homo for the New Zealand article. Several contracts have been made for., tho season's butter at'. goocf prices!, but a number of producers are Btill holding hack before committing themselves. Jlost of the "factories are said to be. holding out for lljd. f.o.b. Wellington. Referring to a gathering of buyers in Unworn, the "'otar" says that as far as' could ,bo gathered, no' extraordinary offers were being made,' but business has already been done in other places at sjd. for cheese and lid. for butter, and at these priccs the agents appear to bo willing to enter into contracts. Some buyers refuse to see anything remarkable in the present prospects, and find nothing in tho reports lately to hand with regard to bad seasons in other butter ■ and cheeseproducing countries to warrant any expectation that prices at Home'will show any considerable advance; Conditions change so rapidly, said one of the agents that it would be very- dangerous to .give pices which -oven, the present state of the market may appear to justify, for a decline in prices may mean the loss of many thousands. .