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Hokitika Guardian, 31 October 1931, Page 4

o>te of the most significant features of the butter market during the past season ha's been commented upon ny Messrs W. Wed del and Company in their annual survey of the import trade a't Home. The review shows that a curious position arose in the trade as a. result of the lower price strength of butter. M ith imports from overseas heavier than they had Loon in any previous year and home production about normal, stocks of butter in store at the end of the year were considerably smaPer than at the beginning of the period. This meant t,lmt. notwithstanding a year of acute depression and financial stringency, the people o-f Great Britain consumed approximately 10 per !cent. more butter than ever before. | It seems that- during ’the east season | the price of bn'ter was reduced to a I point at which it came into strong coin pcition with margarine, one of the I cheaper substitutes to which cousum- ! ers turn when the retail value of ' butter re-’"i'es a level that is beyond 'their moans. It is not surprising that I consumer should prefer butter to margarine and it is ooinfm ting to . e* fleet that here at least is a not inconsiderate compensation r er the collapse ips dairy produce values. ■ New Zealand exported a record quantify of butter to Great Britain last year, eclipsing the high record of production established in the 1929-30 sea-

son, and it by no means impossible for tlie- Dominion to improve upon last season’s shipment of 87,493 tons during the present export year. Suould that be the case, it is reasonable to suppore that tire enlarged circle of consumption during the past

season will be reflected in an in creased demand in the current one.