THE BUTTER POSITION

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1927, Page 4

THE BUTTER POSITION

ACOUAI PLATIN'O STOCKS. A CRAVE POSITION’. (Special Correspondent). WELLIN'IiTOX, March 2. \Mieu quest ioncd tu-dny in regard to tlie butter position, Air . li. Alue- ’ K'van. the head of the linn hearing - his name, replied promptly that he 1 thought it presented oeeasinii lor gone , c.iiieern, if not for actual alarm. The s most disturbing feature of the situa- < lion, he said, uas that while Australia , and A:—mine v.r re ap:,., their shipments praet i<' illly as they came to hand. New /or!i .in w; s nccimuhiling stocks at a jr. -t di-turfing into. At the end of February—only two . days bciore—there was no tins aid Ar- ■ gen tine butter in l.nndon and only 23.600 boxes of unsold Australian, . merely a tew days' supply. On the other hand, there was an area an: la tmu oi -J(K>.00!) boxes ot New Zealand butter in store. This could mean c:,lethal- distributors, retailers and consum. c:s, tor some reason nr other, were . looking with less tjivour e.pon Now Zealand butter tliati upon Australia and Argentine. Danish butter, of course, was sold from day to day and other northern supplies were not yet on tlie market in any quantities. ’I here were other significant ihu-ts ! "hull Air Mat:Ewan stated uithoul comment. The estimated stock ol Xew Zealand “controlled'’ butter in London on February 28 uas ,8730 tons and of I “uncontrolled” butler 1260 tons. a total of 10. hint tons, or 1 fit per roue oi I the season's estimated shipment of j 00.00;) tons. The estimated arrivals for Alareh. Api il and Alay were, respectively, Shot) t ins, 7700 tons and j 02.30 ions, ji total of 22.730 tons, which | added to the blitter in stock on Feb- | ruary 28 nuTde a grand total of 22,730 tons or 51> per cent of the I Dominion’s estimated total export. The sale of “controlled” butter up to February IS amounted to 900!) tons, an average of GOO tons per week, but with 17000 tons estimated to arrive after Alay 31 there would he -19.762 tons to sell between February 18 and tlie end of the season. To effect a clearance of this huge total it would have to he moved off at the rate of 2000 tons a. week, and this in face of thie spring and summer production in the northern hemisphere. In other words the sales would have to tie increased by 300 per cent to avoid a heavy otrry-over and the inevitable deterioration in quality and decline

in value. 1 don’t want to add further fuel to the ('hi controversy over “Compulsion,” Air Mac Ewan sai.d in closing the interview. “The position is too serious for us to be quarrelling between ourselves. It is obvious, however. that our marketing arrangements litvo gone wrong, and that something must be done to avert- a catastrophe. Our butter, much improved in quality, a.s everyone admits, instead of gaining ground in popular favour and challenging the supremacy of Denmark, is losing, -ground. The Prime Minister still , has to tell ns of the result of his observations in London and meanwhile we must possess our souls

in patience, but. it is to be hoped that at the earliest possible moment, in the interests of the producers and their industry. Air Coates will apply himself earnestly to some sound remedy for an extremely unsatisEuTory state of affairs,"