BUTTER, CHEESE & MARKETS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1657, 25 January 1913, Page 8

BUTTER, CHEESE & MARKETS.

DAIRY ASSOCIATION. RATHER INTERESTING REMARKS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Chrischurch, ' January 21. Tho annual conference of the South Island Dairy Association was held at Lyttelton yesterday. The chairman (Jlr. John Grey, of Mataura) said that ho was very pleaded to seo so nmiiy present, tis it showed the great interest taken in the dairying industry of New Zealand. The position in •regard to tho industry, this year was a very peculiar one. Buyers seemed very anxious to get hold of butter and cheese factory orders, and' iseonved to have thought that dairy produco was worth more than it really was, and the market was depressed : unwarrantably, especially in regard to cheeso. In the southern districts of this island, the factories, especially cheese factories, had been led astray, and had been' paying out more than they now expected to get for their produce, unless there was a big improvement in the market. Personally, he was hoping for an improvement. The shortage at Home was a big one, oven on last year's figures, t» that there was yet, hope in ;that connection. He would like to read them a copy of a cablegram received from London, which was as follows;—" Cheese: Meeting decided to hold for GO shillings minimum price on the strength of the statistical position of Now Zealand, and also the Canadian and Home supply; expect that spot prices can bo raised to 01 shillings immediately; strongly recommended factories to continue consigning; prospects improved all round; February arrivals less than last year" But (continued tho chairman) he did not think that even the prospects held out by the cablegram would clear the southern factories. In referring to tho good work done by the' association for the dairy factories, he remarked that it had effected a great many improvements in the tem of shipping butter and cheeso from the South Island by'steamers to London. Ho also made brief reference to tho value of cow-testing, which, he would go far in the direction of improving their output, and alto their income. There was a cow-testing association at Taitapu, and he was going to persist in his own district in this direction, as he was sure that tlioy were all keeping cows in their herds which were not paying.

Mr. J. Barnett (Taitapu) said that tho South Island Association was working amicably with the North Island body, and he felt sure that much good would result'to the industry in New Zealand by their all pulling together. He had recetitiy travelled for three weeks through the North Island, and he had . been delighted with the prospects of the dairy industry there. The increase i-ad been marvellous, and he felt certain that the development would be much larger during the neit five years. 1 Alarm at the Home Separator. Mr. W. J. Bolt (Taieri and Peninsula Dairy Company), and representing the National Dairy: Association of New Zealand, said that a peculiar position • was arising .in; the dairying industry. In tho past the efforts of the dairy companies had been backed up by the splendid assistance of the Government, and this had raised New Zealand right up to the top oft the markets, but he thought that the development of home separators was going to make a certain amount of trouble amongst dairy farmers by doing away, to a largo extent, with co-operation. He did not .thinkH'that^men, 1 ! using home separators, could' "ever make as good butter as' the factories. Tho factories had done good, work in' 1 tho past, and had mad® wonderful improvements in their methods, and had Jaid down cipensivo machinery, but how, they, wero "comingdown." Tho inducements hold out on behalf of home separators were very big, as they were being pushed by very plausiblo men. For several years past Now Zealand butter had been fotcliing Bs. per cwt. moro than the Australian article, and this was largely due to the growth ofhome separator methods in the dairy industry of Australia. This, on an output' of 16,000 tons, represented a loss of ■£40,000 in a j;ear. Referring to the work of the association, Mr. Bolt said that it had rendered valuable service in making shipping contracts, and it was very, useful to back-block factories which were able to get the fullest information from the association. In regard to the, state of markets, farmers everywhere were beginning to realise the benefits to be derived from belonging to the association.

Mr. Arlow quoted figures in connection with recent shipments of butter from the South Island to show that several conHome separator butter from northern Auckland districts had realised prices in London very little short of thoso obtained for shipments of butter from one of the' befet and most up-to-date factories in Wellington. ■ Tho chairman remarked that the competition of Home separator butter was now so strong that he thought that tho Government graders must give it a superfine grade. In Praise of Lyttelton as a Port of Dispatch. Mr. C. Ferrier said that this was the first year in which all tho southern factories were represented in tho association which was doing valuable work for the dairying industry. Being responsible for the shipment of all dairy produce from Lyttelton he was in a position to state that thero had not been a single complaint during the past year regarding the stato of butter and clieeso shipped. He had been assured by' others, and he was himself certain, . that Lyttelton offered advantages as a port of shipment for dairy, produce that could not be equalled anywhere in the world.. The advantage of tho policy of centralisation, in regard to tho shipment of • dairy produce at Lyttelton adopted by the association, was that nil the worries of shipment were taken off the shoulders of, members. . Mr. C. H. Clabborn (representing the Lyttelton Harbour Board) said that it was the board's chief concern to study the interests of the dairy industry. He quoted figures showing the growth of the export of butler and of cheese from tho South Island. During 1912 the quantity of butter handled by tho boartPs cool store for shipment from Lyttelton was 35,720 boxes, as compared with 15,638 boxes during 1911 r-an increase of 20,082 boxes.'. Cheese Showed an increase of 3128 crates, the quantities handled being 11,228 crates in 1911 and 14,646 crates in 1912. These figures did not include tho large quantities of dairy produce transhipped at Lyttelton from southern ports for London.