OUR PRODUCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2728, 24 March 1916, Page 8

OUR PRODUCE

1 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REPORT

In its report-f.br tho year ended J)e----i cember 31, the-Wellington Chamber ot Commerce, referring to the wool seasohy :. Bays:—. .

j The season which opened in Septem- ! ber or October witnessed a large cam- ! paign of private buying and heavy sales i were made bv growers to buyers of 1 clips not off tie sheep's back at prices 1 '■: running from Is. to Is. 3d. When the I sales'opened:in November keen compels tition was .experienced from: Bradford and' American buyers, -fnd extremely; high priceb"-ruled." Good crossbreds - brought 17d: to :19Jd. ; Since .then prices j; . have: rcmainedj^strohg l and. .steady,_ and. a larger; portion than 'eyer . beforo of tho clip has been sold-locally. I'.; There have been.difficulties ; over: toni nige .for': .wool "v shipments—difficulties which got;-!so acute iri: January/that buyers roftiseditb' buy.' ; sales. -*iii|tilO:tho:"V l Ppsifci.on' : o''W"tis" l ; cleared, ! and sales have' sinco ;been tekmg'placo i - only as shipping space;is;in:sight;-Tho S. selling season, .therefore,:instead of .ending in early March will -.contimie< well iV- into' April: , - ;: The embargo- on ' shipment" of - cross- • bred: wools to : Amcfica. was lifted. in November .-arid - off .until;. Jan-- | . uary, and ; :liirge.;supplics' were:': shipped :. to. America; This enhanced' prices for the time s being, but- since - then it - can liardly be"6aid.-that .price's "havo.:suffered ! on accpnrit :'of.: .the.. lack , of,•„ American competition -excepjt- for : some. . of - the ■ liighest-pricei- crossbreds.:- . ' - ••': Hemp; . ... : >! The course or .' the hemp -market., for 1915 has. been 7a reversal of; .the conditions which obtained, in 1914. Last ■ year ;: this report referred'to the closing of the Continental markets and the drought : -in '-'Australia, as being responsible fop - extremely - low prices, ■ but - forecasted , better things for 1915. The forecast • turned out correct. Franco again : b;c- . caine: a . considerable buyer. Australia ' had a record harvest, and America put an increased area under crops. There was a large -world's consumption of : ropes, twines," cordage, 'and fibres. LifAcuities' of tonnage and high freighte - for Manila -forced the price\o_f Manila ' iip and New Zealand -hemp in sym- / 'pathy. :-The. result 'was /that-prices for hemp during 1915 oh a liigii level. The approximate monthly priceß re- . ceived: by millers have been:'as under. i.VThe' quotations -are for g.f.a.q., f.0.0., "Wellington:—January, £20 10s.; February, £25 10s. ; March, £28 10s.; I April, £25; May, £26; June, £2o; ■- July, £26; August-, £26; September ■ 226; October,.£26 10s ; November, £27 ' 10s.; December, £30. • ' Since the New Year prices have ruled., ; still higher, and g.f.a.q. March, was ; quoted at £37 10s. Considerable forward sales have been made by millers at prices ruling from £26 to the highest : quotations, and the_ /industry should '' ; have.a good year provided difficulties' re- ?;• garding' shipping freights ancT labour do • " not upset calculations. The-'production, for the year was ' '24,165 tons, as. against 19,648_ tons for i 1914, and 4120 ,\tons, tow against 3708 •- 'tons. ■ ■ • ' DAIRY PRODUCE. There has been so far a remarkable ! ' season for the production, of dairy pro- ; duce. It began early, and both rain and pastures have been fairly plentiful, and ! ■■■' ui some districts abundant. Consequent ' ly considerable increases -will be found 1 in the quantities exported. .' From September 1 to.'.E'e.bniary. .29, ' - 'and. comparing'the--same -period', last ; year, theVquantities exported are- ap- • proximately a-s follow-:— - : Butter. ; ' •'/ Tons. ' ; -1914-1915 .................. 17,000 .• 1915-1916 17,350 ' Increase of 2.06 per cent, nearly.:

Cheese. ! 1914-1915 - 27,000 1915-1916 28,100 Increase of 4.08 per cent. Tho prices of butter for the previous season in tlie United Kingdom were high, but during this year values have reached a much higher level, and will show befcter.net results notwithstanding freight increases. Exports from European : countries are less, and a strong demand has existed 'throughout the year for Australian and New Zealand butters. Tho 'former has been in shorty supply, consequent upon dry weather in many parts of the Commonwealth. Unfortunately shipments to Vancouver have decreased,' and the business done with that port has been disappointing. The ■total shipments are only ISS tons. Ivo • doubt the "factors which have crippled this trade 'are. the high prices realised in London, the levying of a : 5 per cent, 'tt'ar surcharge on goods imported to Canada,- and tlie present method -of charging ocean freight, thereby increasing- tho lauded cost. The above have ;niade. business., niucli moro difficult, .with the; result-that-,supplies,have come from other • parts- of". America-. Considerable quantities of butter at remunerative prices were sent to the Commonwealth'during the autumn and early winter .months of last year to make good a shortage caused by drought conditions.The. export of . cheese compared with :that of ..last year," as per _expors table, shows-an-advance of 7367 tons up to 'September' 30,- 1915. Tho difficulty of transport * space 'lias this season been accentuated: and a considerable quantity beyond -the- amount in stock in 19,15 is available, In November;: 1915; - the Dominion . Government commandeered • for Imperial war purposes 15,000-tons. The withdrawal of this -quantity.'- froni competition in the London'-markets lia ; s increased the value of tho balance'of the output considerably.' Now Zealand will receive a good advertisement as the results of cheese being made a w«afr ration, and this 111 a. measliro will as&ist' in assuring, the permanency, and prosperity of the m-' dustry. . Prices have gradtially gone from oils. iup to as high as lGos..<and the demand at tho end of February was steady at. 965. to 975. Undoubtedly tho increased weekly earnings of workers throughout the tJnitbd Kingdom nave stimulated their spending power and have colitn■buted in forcing up values and ■ the growth of the demand. Cheese at even present prices is still cheaper, -and r>robably more' wholesome, than meat. "■Tho future prospects of this branch of the industry are good, and as tho years go by cheese will hold a more lm-pr-rtant nosition in our export trade than it does to-day.

, - . FROZEN MEAT.

The early part of' this season, that is the months of October,' November, and December, differed materially f™ m the same period of last season. Ine fine winter and spring of '1914 resulted in large exports of frozen meat for the last few months of that produce year, and'this was reflected' iji the largely increased exports for the twelve months ended September 30, 1915, as shown m the table of exports. Tlie early part of the present season was; however, Generally wet, and shearing was very considerably delayed, with the result that -shipments in October, November, and December wor.c of small compass; consequently comparison' of the figures for tlie twelve months ended December, 1914. and 1915, respectively, sliow that the increase for the year ended 1910 irius 236,304 freight carcasses only. >< Since- publication of the. last annual report, the commandeering of meat by the Government has contmued.'in omnTtion, the prices being unaltered.' -There is ' therefore, nothing much to be sa.ul about the values of meat as received by the grower. Prices of live stock, however, have shown a decided increase air round,' conseauent on the high value received for the wool and hides,V whicli are not subject to-Government control. It is hardly* likely that the exports of : the present season, which has'still, some months to run, will prove as large in quantity as last season, as numbers of sheop are required fori restocking pur- , poses, many farmers having had to rc- .' duce their flocks last season on account \of the drought. • ' . I -Shortage of steamers to carry the meat'is'again manifest, and some of tlie stores being built' by freezing companies; to -help-to overcome this diihcultyrwill not be completed as soon as wa-s-oxpected, owing to the difficulty and I delay "iCL securing, machinery and materials for construction. ,