NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1821, 6 August 1913, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

. EXPORT QUALITY DISCUSSED, ( (By Telegraph,—Special Correspondent.) • Auckland, August 1. .'l'hdt the quality of New Zealand butter exported to tlio Old Country this season 'has not been of a lower - standard than that of the. previous year is the opinion of the leading butter exporters in -Auckland. . Recently a cablegram was received from Ixrndon stating that New Zealand gutter had not fully maintained the progress recorded a year ago, and that, not the same proportion of choicest quality was being exported. Inquiries ■upon the subject .were made, and one firm stated that of the many hundreds of tons .of huttor it sent Home only isolated complaints- regarding the quality had been received, anil these were not of a more serious nature than/had been experienced in previous seasons. . The quality of New Zealand butter had not declined. The .anticipations of good prices at the beginning of the season were not realised, prices .-bring very much lower than it was expected would bo the ease. Consequently, those people in ■■ England ivho bought butter ahead.''suffered a . severe loss. As a rule, in a season of bad prices, .more complaints as to quality wero received than when the market was bright. The standard of the butter sent to Van(couyi6r was'highly praised. This season's bad prices were attributable to the unprecedented fino English winter last year, 'which had tho effect of placing Home supplies on a-much higher level than was expected, and tlio fact that the ; good prices of the preceding year had stimulated „the consumption of substitutes such as' margarine. V'A"somewhat different view, of, the matter ; was expressed by another business _inan. New Zealand butter, he said, had pHot'.declincd in price in tho season before 1 litgf,. r * The returns .were very much yowor-than tho,se of. this-year. It was ,'pot„'a,"just comparison .'to Choose a record ijearjlast year) and compare it with this .year. - "It is the old story," he remark,ed,.; ".lyhen any produce is at tho top of the wgvo. sellers hare a difficulty in adjusting'to normal conditions again." Last" year's prices, he said, had never been topped. Five years ago New Zealand,ifcutter could be bought for fljd., but „twd :yiars ago large quantities were purchased ' at the latter end of tho season for IOJd. "Our butter this year," lie went, :on, "lias netted a higher price than tho average for the last five years. Tho amount of butter that we send to the. Home market in comparison -to Australia does not affect the market to any great, extent. The present conditions •nro-ilue entirely'to the law of supply, and demand." .