WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 February 1927, Page 1

WELLINGTON NEWS

THE BUTTER MARKET! (Special to " Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, February 2 . The position of the butter market, notwithstanding the fact that the London Agency of the Control Board advanced the price of finest to 170 s and first grade to I7is, there is a feeling that all is not well. All reports agree that the market is slow, New Zealand butter being neglected. The explanation given by the London agency Tor buyers holding off is that they must lie working off old stocks. In the meanwhile it is obvious that controlled butter is going into store and the accumulation of stocks must now he fairly large. For the fortnight ended February 4th, the Control Board’s sale in London totalled 42,000 boxes, equal to about 500 tolls per week. This does not appear very much, but perhaps it is necessary to limit the sales to maintain Hie present high prices. Recently a letter was published in the “ Dairyman ” in which a number of Glasgow wholesalers express dissatisfaction with the system of the Control Board and state that they will he forced to give increasing attention to the produce of New Zealand's competitors. Commenting on this the " Evening Post ” in an editorial note says: “ The merchants come into direct touch with the Scottish retailers and the retailor with the consumer. Between them so far from stimulating a better consuming interest in an Imperial product, they will he able to point with some truth to attempts made by New Zealand farmers to extract the uttermost farthing from j the Scots people by means of holding hack supplies and creating a shortage. In such circumstances (hero would seem to he no other way open to the wholesaler than to seek supplies from New Zealand’s competitors. However, the position is not as clear as it might ho. haziness being caused by the many issues raised by interested parties. But the Prime Minister should he able to make it clearer, because he has just returned from the field of battle : he has been interviewed by liicrebnnts and others engaged in the distribution of Non Zealand dairy products, and he lias seen what cards have been laid on the table. He should know too, whether the confidence in the Government representative on the Board in London is well placed or not. Considering the magnitude of the dairy export trade, everyone is concerned ; therefore the Prime Minister should see reasonableness of taking the Dominion into his confidence on this matter at the earliest date.” The exports of butter from New Zealand for tin 1 six months to the end of January show that 1,12(5,225 boxes were exported, as compared with ! .109,(M7 boxes m the corresponding six months of the previous season and 1. 132.975 boxes in the season of 192125. The cheese exports were ■129, GO I crates against ll,8.(>0 y crates in the previous season, and -151.135 crates In 1924-25. Both butter and cheese show slight improvements on the past season. but tin- figures are much below those of the 1921-25 season. , FROZEN MEAT.

The frozen meat market continues dull, and it is evident that the chilled beef trade is in command of the .situation. Australia is making experiments with chilled beef and the Port Hardy has just reached London with a trial shipment, lmt the beef on being opened up showed a slight, surface mould Otherwise the general presentation of colour was excellent. H is very probable that the process which has made this shipment possible will be further perfected; and open up for Australia a new field of enterprise. The Commonwealth can provide the right class of cattle, and if it is to add chilled heel' to the already large supplies from the Argentine the meat market will rule low and affect mutton and lamb. New Zealand’s frozen hoof trade appears to have slumped considerably. Fti 1924 the quantity exported was 049.1 fiOcwr. in 1925 there was an increase, for the total was 705.701 cwt. hut last, year the shipments dropped to 388,701ewt. The value of last year’s small shipments was £511.090, while the shipments in 1925 wore valued at 01,043,871. The Continent has apparently ceased to he a promising consumer. The mutton shipments last year were worth 02.122,099 as against £3,009.705 in 1925; lamb £5.593.403 against £0,701.800; mutton and lamb joints £7,787. against £9.708; kidneys £11,117 against 012,038; rabbits and hares £17,982 against £10,172; veal £94.002 against £38.801 ; and other meats £298.281 against £228.875. the aggregates being £8,050.817 against £11,175.118. The quantities of all meats exported were 2,915.591 ewt against 3,336,845 in 1925.