EXPORT BUTTER PRICES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 224, 10 June 1918, Page 8

EXPORT BUTTER PRICES

DAIRYMEN'S COMPLAiM'. A statement of the prosont position of the New Zealand butter producer was . made by Mr. T. C. Drash, secrfttarj' of '•1 he* Dominion Uutier Cominittt-c, in respondLn? to » toast at the South kland Dairy Aasooiation's dinnor. Tho men denling with cheese, he said, were all right, and he did not suppose Mutt one of them was discontented. The price of lfld. for laat season had lieeii a good one, ajid they wero almost certain' to eeciure IOJd. next year, hut the position in regard to hutter wits very different. • A Toice: Politicians.

Mr. Braali: Yes. It was the politicians. Two years ago, ho continued, the politicians, out "vote catching,'' had decided that the highest prieo the producers should have for their hntler in New Zeahuid was Is. sd. per lb. That price had meant a. direct contribution from the butter producers to the consumers, of -£700,600. That was a largo item, but it was not the largest. The p6sition was that the Government was paying Is. i 13-lCd. for the butter, which •was sold at Home for 2525. per cwt. Had the New Zealand equivalent of that prico been paid to the producer ho would have secured Is. lOd. per lb., to that accounted for a direct contribution to the Imperial Government of .£1,100,000., Jt was entirely unjust that that e.iim should hare been taken from tho butter producers of this country.

There was not one New Zealand producer who would not agree I hat the consumer at Home was paying too much for his butter when ho was paying 2s. ild. per lb'.. The Imperial Government was entitled to fix the price at Home as low as it'liked,'but that'same price, less all legitimate charge?, should bo pa-id to the producer in New Zealand. At. present the price was being raised at Home continually, while it was being kept down here. That irritated the producers, and Jie'was- surprised that there had ;.ot been a greater protest from New Zealand butter circles. They were told that the Imperial Government had to pay -100s. for Hanifih butter. It might be wise to pay that' price to keep the Danish article from Germany, but that was a. war loss, end should be eo- treated. To ifik the butter producers in. Australia and New Zealand to bear (he loss was unfair and un-Britlsb. For next season, the New Zealand and Commonwealth producers were nuking for the colo-.iial equivalent of the wholesale price ot their butter on the Home market, and lo that they were justly entitled.