DAIRY PRODUCE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 December 1930, Page 2

DAIRY PRODUCE

THE BRITISH MARKET. NEW ZEALAND POLICY CRITICISED. AUCKLAND, Dec. 24. New Zealand cheese produce] s ;nc making “a fine opening” for their competitors on the Britin'll market liecause of their foolish neglect to mfnd their ways and alter their methods. Such is the conclusion reached by Mr I'. C. List, proprietor of the Taranaki “Daily News” and an ex-chairman of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, who, after visiting various countries with the New Zealand Press delegation, returned to New Zealand by the Rangitiki this morning. In the dairy produce market conditions were unprecedented, said Mi Li at. There was little or no life in the market. Even when butter wan down to 118 s to 114 s, merchants and shopkeepers were, buying from hand to mouth. The fact wa* / that they were all scared to buy heavily because of fear that the market would drop still further and they would lose on their purchases as they had lost before.

DANISH POLICY. A factoi 1 Whh'h had assisted the dfr r oliile was the' large Stock's of New Zealand produce which Were bold often bj the expressed direction of the factories. This policy of holding over for a more favourable market would have to be revised or more trouble would be ahead of New Zealand producers. Out of their longer experience the Danes always accepted the market rate and cleared their stocks from week to week. The ,-esult was that customers, could always depend on securing the fresh article, which they could not in the case of New Zealand. People bad frequently complained to Mr List of the staleness or of the rancidness of New Zealand butter, and after making enquiries generally he found that butter had been kept in store for unduly long periods. Another factor which was operating against New Zealand was the feeling engendered by the ill-starred attempt of 192.5 to control the market. Gone was the old spirit of goodwill and cooperation which used to exist between merchant and producer, and instead there was disinterested hard business with no more preference for the Dominion’s produce than for that of the Baltic provinces. CHEESE QUALITY.

“There is grave danger of us losing our cheese market unless we quickly change our methods and give our customers what they want and not what we think they should have. It is no new thing to have these complaints, and we have had ample time to find out what Is wrong and apply the neees. sary remedies, We imV6 bad one lesson ill the abortive attempt t(i control the London butter market when we supply but 20 per cent .of the whole of the supplies going on. Consumers in these times of restricted means are in no mood to put up with cheese they do not like and which rapidly deteriorates when it is cut up. The Baltic States are making wonderful progress in dairying and are now devoting their attention to cheddar cheese-making, observing as they do the fine opening New Zealand is making for them . m Britain because of our utter foolishness in neglecting to mend our ways and alter our methods. >