Potatoes.

Manawatu Herald, 8 July 1899, Page 3

Potatoes.

The position of this product exhibits a most melancholy contrast to that which it occupied at this time last year. ■- The necessities of New South Wales at that time caused that colony to be a heavy buyer of the tuber, and our local potato market was excited with prices ruling £7 to £7 10s, f.o.b. at Southern ports, for July delivery. Our exports for the year 1898 reached a total value of £141,000, of which New South Wales alone took as much as £102,874. In 1895-96-97 our total shipments for the three years were Only of the value of £41,118. Now we are without the smallest export demand, our market is glutted, and producers are only getting from 17s 6d to 25s a ton f.o.b. at Southern ports. The fact is that Australia as a customer for our agricultural and dairy products is a most fickle and treacherous market. One season it is a lavish and liberal buyer, but the next season it may be amply supplied from its own resourses, and be changed from a customer into a competitor. The United Kingdom is our mainstay, and is a comparatively steady and reliable market. With her we can cultivate a trade. With Australia we can only, to use a familiar expression, " chip in " whenever there is an opportunity, and be thankful for unexpected advantages ; but if we reckon upon a repetition of one year's experiences in the following season we risk burning our fingers badly. — Post.