DAIRY PRODUCE

Hokitika Guardian, 30 December 1930, Page 5

DAIRY PRODUCE

LONDON MARKET CONDITIONS. The New Zealand cheese producers are making “a fine opening” for their competitors on the British market he-, cause of a foolish neglect to mend their ways nnd alter their methods, Such is the conclusion reached by Mr T. C. List, proprietor of the Taranaki Daily News, and 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 last week. ]n the dairy produce market eondi-, tions w'ere unprecedented Mr List said. There was little or no life in the market, nnd even when butter was down to 118 s to 114 s merchants and shopkeeers were buying from hand to mouth. The fact was that they were all afraid to buy heavily because of a fear that the market would drop still further, and they would lose on their purchases, as they had lost so heavily before. A factor which 1 had assisted the decline was the large stocks of New Zealand produce which were held, often by the expressed direction of the factories. This policy of holding over fora more favourable market would have to be revised or more trouble would be ahead of the New Zealand producers. Out of their longer experience the Lories always accept the market rate, and cleared their stocks from week to week. The result was that customers could always depend on securing a fresh article which they could not do in the case of the New Zealand product.

reopfe have frequently complained. t 6 Mr List of the staleness or rancidness of New Zealand butter and after making inquiries generally he. found that the butter had been kept inustore for unduly long periods. Another factor which was operating against New Zealand was the feeling engendered by the ill-starred attempt of 1925 to control the market. Gone was the old spirit of goodwill and co-operation which used to exist between merchant and producer and instead tligre was disinterested hard business, with no more preference for Dominion’s produce than for that of the Baltic provinces.