The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1930. DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1930. DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

oome un-tieating oi tuo dairy - ing luuusiry, uul.uojj' expui l uauo ucVuiopliit/Uio uiUU ui..h piOuitunS, Vice wiill by Jxr x. t. ma-an, aoeietary of tne x\ew Zieala-nu uany riv ub dju, in uit uuuic®* aL Lne cuiilerence of the Dairy Jjaciory -uun«b«»' a xi»ouc»cu.ieii no x Ulou. Ailei briefly tracing the. phenomenal gi'un u, or kne uairyuig inuustiy or tne Koii.in.un, ii iiuj.' ajiunai e.Vi.orts iiact grown from £200,000 when he staneci I. e. *v i.L ci i.cucij in loo;./, to approximately ±,2:j,(AA>,O(X) to-day, .Ur Brasil said tnuc new /.eaiand stood now as a source of supply to Britain greater tnan any other, country m the world. Britain herseir. piouuceu u surprisingly huge quantity on dairy produce—last year u was x 6 per cent, of,the butter ana 28 per cent, or tile cheese consumed m the c luted Kingdom. But jjrnain is hugely, an industrial country, and it was nmnily because of tins

and the fact tnat sue. provided a free

inarKet that tne great development 01 the New Zealand dairying industry had oeen possioie. The uouumon was now semmig to the Homeland approximately do per cent, or the cheese and iE per cent, of trie butter imported. New Zealand’s exports to Great Britain had increased more rapidly than those of any other country. 111 1915 ..New Zealand’s proportion of the totai imports into Britain was only a little over 9 per cent, of the butter and 22 per cent, of the ciieese. It had, however, to be remembered that Britain’s tree trade policy applied not only to us but to every otuer country in the world, and this piit' New Zealand in competition with every other producing country. Denmark had been New Zealand’s greatest competitor in butter Ind the development in that country ias coincident with our own. 111 1915 icnmariv’s quota represented 43 per viiit. of? Britain’s imports, but in 929 only 36 per cent., going to prove bat any very rapid mu-ease in Dnnsii production was unlikely. From .913 to 1929 Danish imports into Briain increased by 29 per cent, whereas .ew Zealand’s increase was 4.20 per ent. Because of the efficiency and .he industry of the Danish people they uad developed a trade with Britain .vhich they were holding most tenaciously against all competitors. Dairying all the year round, they were supplying to the market a regular quantity of high-class fresh butter, uike ourselves, Denmark bad been depending first on the British market, •mt secondly on the German demand. Owing to a new duty the German market was not so promising now. Australia’s supplies to Britain showed great variation in quantity, dependent .argely on the weather. Given a wet

jeason she was a formidable competitor. The Australian market was closed to New Zealand because of increased tariff, but it was interesting to note that the Australian Patterson scheme had been responsible for the imposition of a dumping duty on Australian butter going into with the result that they had lost that market to New Zealand. Canada was our big competitor in cheese, but her export was gradually falling, having decreased from 75,000 tons to 40,000 tons since 1910. At the present she was supplying approximately 28 per cent, of Britain’s imports of cheese, as compared with 47 per cent, in 1915. In prewar days the prices realised for Can-

adian cheese were on a par with New Zealand, but there was a wide difference in favour of Canada to-day. The reasons given were that Canada had

maintained tier quality against New /jealand’s falling-off and with a decreasing export there was a keener demand, whereas for New Zealand’s increasing quantity new markets have to be found. It was worthy of note that our shipments to Canada for the 1929-30 season to date were greater

tnan our total exports to all markets for the year 1911. The Canadian duty on New Zealand butter at present was J-d per lb. In the United States of America an increase in the import duty on butter to 12 cents per lb. and on cheese to 5 cents per II). represented the closing of another door to New Zealand’s dairy produce. A further alteration in the TJ.S.A. tariff which was at present under considera-

tion is likely to effect us still further. This was the proposal to increase the duty on crea’m and .milk against Canada, which must naturally moan an

increase in the quantity of butter being manufactured in Canada, with a lesser demand for New Zealand butter. Further, the Canadian producers were at present working up a strong agitation with a view to compelling their Government to increase the import duty on New Zealand butter ,to at least 3 cents per pound. This would very materially affect our trade to that Dominion. M;r Brash staid lie tnought the Canadian Government would hesitate before making this increase against New Zealand, for our imports of various goods irom Canada were considerably larger than Canada’s imports from New Zealand. The New Zealand Government was fully alive to the value of the Canadian market and was watching the position closely. Dealing generally with the question of tariffs, JMr Brash said New Zealand carried the heaviest handicap of all countries sending dairy produce to Britain by reason of her distance from that market, whereas her principal competitor, Denmark, a foreign country, was able to reach the British market almost overnight. Under Britain’s present policy, instead of being >1 andicapped as a foreign country, Denmark had thus a decided advantage over New Zealand. There wore of course great difficulties in establishing a policy of Empire free trade with its corresponding duty against foreign countries, but he thought there as a growing feeling throughout the Empire that Empire-produced goods going into Britain should huve preferential treatment as against those of foreign cciuntrieis. While there was everywhere a steady increase in the production of butter, said Mr Brash, it was doubtful if it was going to more tlian meet the ever-increasing demand. In no country in the world was there lncely to l.e an area opened up for dairying that would work any radical change in the position. The worldwide tendency was for the great cities LO' become ever larger, necessitating an .»creused production from the land. The cheese position was even sounder than tnat of butter. There had been practically no increase in the quantities imported' into Great Britain in recent years. New Zealand’s steady increase had only gone to make up the shortage from Canada. The demand for pocketed cheese was growing, and must make for increased consumption. There would undoubtedly be periods of low prices, and it had been so since the inception of the 'industry in New Zealand. But it was out of these lean periods that many of the important advances in efficiency and quality had developed. Butter and cheese were essential foodstuffs, and they would always be needed.