OUR CHEESE OUTPUT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2854, 19 August 1916, Page 12

OUR CHEESE OUTPUT

PURCHASE NEGOTIATIONS FALL THROUGH ;

'ft- : ' - DIFFERENCE. AS TO PRICE ■vV ; '■■■']'*■ ;:">*- : . >.. *j;The conference between the Prime '■'■■.'.' ' .Miqjster and-representative cheese pro:,"H; ■ -.'" ducers yesterday regarding the terms on '?#;'.■' which the producers would bo willing -! : '<.•■■■ .'..:-to sell the total exportable surplus ,;".-?. cheese production of the Dominion ,'..-. for the-coming season to' the Imperial <-";'■ C Board of Trade for Army'supplies'end- .-.. ..-ed'fruitlessly. ■ The cheese producers :• ~ .had offered.to soll'at SJd. per lb., f.'o.b.' ;'.'r; ; >ih.New'-Zealand ports. This- offer .' .5,'- was communicated by Mr. Massey to r \ 'C- the Board of Trade, and the Board, of : •■■'"". Trade's reply was submitted to the .'.•- ". producers .yesterday. The Board ■!':'■<. ■'■ offered to; buy at ,a lower price, which ;\, < the producers would not accept, and :; •■ /, 'the negotiations have, therefore, fallen '■'-.; '•: \ • through:•' . ' ' : _. '• ''■-'■-, ""*'■ ,It is understood fMt the -price offor- ':..;", ed : by the Board of Trade was Bd..per ■lb; Last year a.quantity of cheese, ;.;••. : '.'about a."third of the season's output, :■,' V was purchased for Army -.supplies at. -,'>'■•''.; [ 7jd. per'lb;', and the rest, which went : . "'-,'"'■: 7. Home "free" from control of any sort '■''.'•■' ■■ as "to price, realised a niiich higher ■;.., "* figure on the English market. It is ':■; considered that tho difference between ,:.',.;.;' the rate tho Board of Traders .willing :.-;.' to-pay and -that which the producers ,':.'.. * are willing to accept is-so great, that ■'.'.".".;.'..";.-.'j"there is now little probability of nego- ",-• '■:'■'; '•-.■:'.-■ tiations for the purchase of next soa!v,:::-' son's output being renewed. It is by '■'"■:" .means improbable that .if the _■- ' -, cheese goes Home free it will-realise >.;,,;. the price that tho producers ask./ '. ~- Their only .risk is that through short'•L-'-''■'■'"•■ «ge of shipping space it,may not go f l -,•■..-.'» Home at all, or that its shipment may ■;;:.;. .. .be, so delayed :as to;'hinder factory c. ,: .' . operations.. If, they, had agreed to tho W.y. '..■-r«fliiisitioninK • of the" product they ;:•;.. :, would have been freed from all anxiety ;,..-,.: on.this score, as it ,would have been :-/..; .-.'the. business.of the' Board of Trade \' : .: '~":■. controls, all insulated ■ : :,\y. :;.,-.. % to.seo that, space.was available for the 'v ' ; sport of i fc "° cheese it had bought. :,■■;;.',• -.Hitherto New Zealand, has been ex- :■:-.-./ treinely fortunate in having provided y.■'■.■; / for.it all tho shipping space reasonably . '.;. . for- the transport of its >v.-,,-,., -perishable products—frozen meat and r :">'-. ," dairy'produce. '. ' .; >