BUTTER EXPORT TRADE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1704, 21 March 1906, Page 2

BUTTER EXPORT TRADE.

A WELLINGTON MERCHANT VIEWS.

, REGULAR SUPPLIES WANTED,— J THE FLAX INDUSTRY. How about New Zealand butter at , Home ?" was a question put to Mr D. J. Nathan, of the firm of Joseph Nathan and Go., who had been residing in England for L the past year, and has just returned to Wellington by the Ruapehu. New Zealand butter is not sold retail as New Zealand buttet to any extent, and is never likely to be until there is a determined effort made to advertise and bring it before the notice of the publice,” was the reply. There are lots of psople who would be willing to pnrohase if they could be assured of regular and continuous supplies for the whole 12 mooths, and for longer periods. Under tbe system prevailing in the colony, whore a faotory sells to one boyer one year and another buyer the next year, there is no of supply. There are a number of people in the butter trade who never it, and are not likely to as long as the present system obtains.” | Mr Nathan went on to say that while at Home be saw a tremendous lot oi “ blend? ing ” done, not only in England, but in Holland, and he expressed tbe opinion that thb art of blending butter was in Holland a generation ahead of England. A great propoition of the' batter Bold in England was blended. New Zealand sent butter for so many months of the year and Australia, Canada, the Argentine, tbe Continent, Siberia, and other countries aleo sent supplies during a portion of the year. No shop-keeper could therefore Blithe same batter from the same plaoe alt the year round, and tbe oonsequenoe was that the " blenders ” put up a standard blend, and supplied shop-keepers with it. Then they had a tegular and continuous supply of a standard article. While on the subject, Mr Nathan took occasion to remark that Mr H. 0. Cameron, the produoe commissioner for New Zealand in London, was full of energy, and desired to do his best for the colony, but it was difficult for a man in his position to get ‘ inside ” information. However, be did marvellously well, considering the difficulties he had to overcome. One disadvanlage, and it was a great one, tfas in haviog his office situated so far away from the market?, which resulted' in his h siDg a great deal of time. He ought (Mr Nathan said) to have an office in the city, as the other colonies had, and the colony Bhould be brought more prominently before the notico of the publio. The Government of the colony should follow the lead jiven by Canada, and advertise a great

deal more. The colony needed to be boomed. The idea on the London Stook Exchange (Mr Nathan went on to say) still was that the Government was over-borrowing, and that the colony had not got enough people. They could not understand why efforts were not made to divert eome of' ! the stream of emigration which now went to America, and thought the Government should endeavor to get more population while things were prosperous, because tfie slump was bound to eome sooner or latefl - Then, again, they had the idea that we ought to limit our borrowing to about half a million a year. He (Mr Nathan) thought it would bo difficult for the Government to raise more than a million a year ; in faot, ho added, some of the Home people could not even now be persuaded that our legisaiiou had not ruined us, or that Australia had yet begun to reoover from the r?rnnohfc

In regard to the grading of flax, Mr Nathan said the present system was decidedly against tho interests of the producers, and one of the biggest Bgeots he was acquainted with reckoned that it meant a loss of 30s per ton to the producers of the colony. The result of the adhesion to the present system was that if. merchants at Home regraded the flax on their own basis, and what was graded here * as “ fair ” was sold by them as “ good ' I fair,” and so on. That, of oourse, was a 1 matter for the Millers’ Association to deal ■ with. No one ooald help them bat them- fl selves, ' H