BREVITIES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 455, 10 April 1912, Page 6

BREVITIES.

The fame of New Zealand butter has spread. A factory at Otaki has received a communication from the Northern Produce Company, British Columbia, asking for a quotation, adding that the company has had Otaki butter, which gave perfect satisfaction.

Satisfactory progress in wool growing continues to be made in West Australia, and the past season's clip was easily the largest on record. The western State is such a vast one, and has so much good country as yet only partially developed, that a farther expansion in wool production is assured. A great many wellbred merino rams have been imported from the eastern States in late years, principally from noted Riverina studs, and a further improvement in the clips has to be recorded.

A firm well known in New Zealand in accounting for the recent advance in price of butter, points out that the total imports of butter into the United Kingdom were only about 1000 tons greater than in 1910, whereas the requirements for consumption increased about 7000 tons a year so that there was manifestly an actual shortage of 6000 tons. Nor does this take into account that the Home production also showed a great shortage on account of the abnormally dry summer, a shortage which might be estimated at from 5000 to 10,000 tons. There must also be taken intu consideration the strong demand through improved trade conditions at Home, which must have been a factor in enhancing values. On the other hand, the increase in price is attributed to the operations of trusts or combines practically effecting a corner in butter. But it would seem that every influence which has had a tendency to an increased demand and a hardening of prices, could be traced to natural rather than to artificial causeq.