THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 25, 1914. THE BUTTER MARKET

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 25 September 1914, Page 4

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 25, 1914. THE BUTTER MARKET

THE managing director of the British and Dominions Producers Association, Major Norton, is at present touring New Zealand (says the Te Aroha "' News"). During an address delivered in Wairarapa recently, the speaker stated that New Zealand and Australia were largely in the hands of speculators. The speculator was juggling with themThis would be avoided if they were to co-operate in the marketing of their produce, Denmark and Ireland had shown that they could market their produce without the intervention of the speculator. Major Norton urged that Colonial produce should be exhibited throughout the United Kingdom, and brought under the immediate notice of the big grocers at all parts of the year. What the grocer wanted was a continuity of supply throughout t%§ season, and the fresh landing of the pFQcJuce on the market. It was her© thai the speculator came in. The speaker gave an instance to show that butter had begn kept in store for months by speculators, and then retailed to grocers. lie urged the necessity of building up the ft?*roe of Dominion produce. At th* present time not a pound of Australian; butter reached the consumer as i it had left the factory. It was bought up by the blender and used to bring inferior qualities of butter up to the standard. Margarine was the greatest competitor with Australasian butter at the present time, and many of the butter blenders were interest-

Ed in the margarine trade. The speculators had kept the price of butter up in 1912, and had forced margarine on to the market.

From time to time propositions have been made with the idea of eliminating the speculator referred to by Major Norton, but no definite scheme has been adopted to cope with the cause of New Zealand butter always ranking lower in price than that from some other countries. Some day a scheme will be evolved whereby the dairying institutions of Australasia will open up a warehouse in London and sell direct to the retailer. By this means the full average price, less of course the sale expenses incurred, will be available to the colonial dairy companys. The danger of prices being forced down at different times in the year would b9 eliminated, and the advantage of having a truly colonial warehouse would mean that the produce would sell clearly on its merits. For years our produce has suffered to a big extent on the great London market by reason of so many companies continually changing their consignment firms. This ha& meant a lack of continuity of sales to the same range,of retailers, many of whom are therefore forced to keep changing the brands of produce sold by them, to the detriment of the trade generally. The visit of Major Norton to New Zealand will at least serve to considerably enlighten many consigning companies, and perhaps be the means of steps being taken to place the export trade on a better basis than heretofore.