THE BUTTER MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1232, 14 September 1911, Page 8

THE BUTTER MARKET.

"NEW ZEALAND'S GAMBLING SYSTEM." At tlio conference of representatives nf tho Australian Co-operativo liuttci- Factories hold in Sydney, Mr. H. W. lioberts, representative of tlio Western Districts Company, Victoria, speaking on the direct export policy, said they had had experience of direct export from tho inception of the trade. Their factories had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that direct export was tho most payable in seven years out of ten. Local selling had proved most disastrous to New Zealand factories He had compared the balancesheets of Now Zealand factories for five years, and not one of them paid the same average price as had the co-operative factories in Victoria. Last year no had compared the balance-sheets of thirty New Zealand factories with thirty Victorian, and on the average the Victorian factories paid Hd. per lb. more for tho year. Tho gambling local selling, system of New Zealand, which was brought about absolutely by grade stamping, had not proved profitable to the producers. The farmers in Victoria fixed the price at which their produce should to sold, and tho position could be won in London, as it had been in Australia, if producers were true to cooperativo principles. The' weakness was the factories that split consignments with speculative agents. His directors refused to accept split consignments. It rested with the factories to consolidate tho position. After several delegates had spoken on the question, the Mlowins: resolution was carried unanimously:—"That this representative gathering of delegates from co-operative factories within tho State, having hot had considerable experience of tho system of direct export, pledges itself tr uphold in its entirety that policy throughout the coming season."