AUCKLAND BUTTER MARKET.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4400, 7 April 1922, Page 2

AUCKLAND BUTTER MARKET.

DAIRY CO.’S ATTITUDE, WITHDRAWAL ENDORSED. BY THE 5..-A. ASSOCIATION. (Special to the “Gazette.”) At a meeting of the South Auckland Dairy Association,; held in Hamilton on Tuesday, a -resolution was, moved by Mr E. Allen (Cambridge), and seconded by Mr W. R. Lowry (Tatuanui) endorsing the action of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company in withdrawing from the New Zealand Butter /Distributors’ As-’ sociation. It was also decided that a circular should be sent to all butter factories in the Auckland province outlining th’e true position, and that the secretary of the South Auckland Dairy Association should write to the Opotiki Dairy Company emphatically protesting against the action of their Auckland agents in publishing misleading statements calculated to create a feeling of distrust amongst the co-operative companies of the Auckland province.

Mr Geo. Buchanan (chairman), a member of the Dominion Butter Committee 1 , explained that the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company had agreed to join the Auckland Butter Distributors’ Association on condition that a difference of 2d per lb was maintained between first an 1 second-grade butter. This difference was made on the recommendation of Mr Goodfellow, who reported from London that second-grade butter was in some cases realising 20s to 30s per cwt. less than first grade. Mr Buchanan said that the chairman of directors of the New Zealand Dairy Company. (Mr Motion) had intimated to the Auckland Butter Distributors’ Association in Auckland that his company intended to adhere to this difference, and joined the association on the distinct understanding that all the other companies adopted the same course. Mr Buchanan said that in the month of January. some of the merchant distributors in Auckland strongly desired that this difference should be reduced to Id per lb instead of 2d. Notwithstanding the attitude of the chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Company, the agents for the Opotiki Dairy Company sent out a circular on February 17 intimating that they now had three brands of butter for sale, the wholesale prices being Is 3%d, Is 2%, and Is l%d, respectively, less %d lb for cash. Mr Buchanan said that during the following week .these agents witndrew their third brand and had only two prices,—ls 3%d and Is 2%d. When the agent for the Opotiki company was questioned about the quality of the butter which was being sold as second grade, he Crankly admitted that it was first-grade "butter in a second brand wrapper, Mr Buchanan stated that as a result of these tactics the sales of the New Zealand Dairy Company on the Auckland market decreased considerably. The Dairy Company therefore decided to withdraw from .the Distributors’ Association and take steps to conserve their interests on the Ipcal market.