DAIRYING OUTLOOK

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 253, 20 July 1921, Page 6

DAIRYING OUTLOOK

EXCELLENT SEASON IN PROSPECT CONDI HONS FAVOURABLE FOR RECORD One ■who i? intimately concerned in the dairy industry informed ii Dominion reporter yesterday that the approaching dairying season promised to be a record one for New Zealand, provided that no untoward set-back occurred during the next few weeks. As the result of a mild winter, there ha-» been a plenitude of gruss for tho milking herds, and that has meant a very good supply of milk since the autumn —the best for some years past. Now, from all parts of New Zealand are being received reports that promise an early spring, following ideal winter weather for a dairying country. “I really believe," said our informant, "that tho flush of the coming season will witness something this country has never seen before. Small holdings by the hundred have been taken up by ex-soldiers, who are anxious to make good, and who ai'o not going to stick to eight or ten hours a day to do it. Then ninny of the beef and mutton growers have turned, in desperation, to dairying, to make something like an income, which probably has increased the number engaged in the dairying industry at least from ten to twenty per cent. That all point a to a wonderful season. I should not bo at all surprised if the dairy factories in many of the better districts are flooded with supplies, and have to work two or perhaps three shifts a day to cope with " “The prospects, too, are excellent. England,’ in fact the whole of northern Europ®, has been suffereing acutely from a heat wave, which has been destroying the pastures and withering up the grain in the fields. That will be a very serious thing for the dairying industry of England, Holland, France, and Denmark, and should have the effect of keeping up tho prices of tho coming season s output of butter and cheese in New Zealand. At tho end of summer in England there is no recovery in the pastures until they are refreshed by the . winter rest and rains, so that, if the drought is as severe as the cablegrams make out, the dairying industry in Northern Europe is likely to be seriously handicapped for the rest of the year."

OPTIMISM IN MANAWATU PRICES EXPECTED TO ADVANCE. From Our Own Correeoondent. Palmerston North, July 19. The latest cable messages from Home with regard to the increase in prices ruling for butter and cheese have caused a much better feeling amongst the producers in this district, and they are now looking forward with a good deal more confidence to the season which will open shortly. A few days ago private cablegrams were received stating that the price of cheese had risen in London to 140 s. for white and 1355. to 140 s. for coloured, the cabled quotations of the previous week having been 1225. to 1245. for white and 114 s. for coloured. A few weeks before that cheese had slumped from 160 s. to 905., owing to the sudden unloading of big Canadian stocks. Buyers, however, soon found that the Canadian article was inferior, and the demand for it fell off. Now New Zealand’s output is rapidly coming back into favour, and the indications are that prices will hold, and may possibly improve. So far as butter is concerned, several of the local factories have had offers from Home of from Is. 9d. to Is. 91d. per lb. for next season’s output, but in most instances they are inclined to wait further developments before accenting, and it is probable that some of them may eventually decide to ship direct.- In this connection Mr. Maurice Nathan, of London, one of the managing directors of Messrs. Joseph Nathan and Co., Ltd., who is now in Palmerston North, stated that he had been adviseds that the price quoted by the Imperial Government for butter which it held had been increases! to 2575. per cwt., and he expected to hear of a still further increase. Tn his opinion the advance was due to the drought at Home, which had been the moans of curtailing production, and to tho greater demand for butter which had followed the settlement of the coal strike in England and the resumption of many industries. He had, during the past few weeks, met a number of directors of the various factories in this district and had recommended them to follow the well-established practice of shipping their butter to ths English market on consignment. -Since that time matters had so improved that his firm would be able to offer substantially higher prices for butter for shipment Home, but he still advised factories to consign on their own account. So far ns cheese- was concerned, opinions were still divided as to whether it was better to stdl hero or consign. Last, year a number of cheese factories sold their output and secured a return of at least 2s. Gd. per lb. for their butter fat, while others chose to consign and were until recently faced with the prospect of calling upon milk suppliers fov a refund. When seen by a Dominion reporter, several representatives of both cheese and butter factories expressed satisfaction at the prosjiects for the coming season, and most of them ware inclined to advise their shareholders to ship on consignment ns they were strongly of opinion that prices would advance. Tho result is that dairy farmers aro increasing their herds and making considerable improvements to their byres and milking plants.