THE BUTTER MARKET.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 591, 10 December 1920, Page 3

THE BUTTER MARKET.

m i POSITION IN ENGLAND. "Butter appears to form the last ditch of official food control," writes W. Weddell and Co. Ltd., London, in the twenty-sixth annual report on Imported Dairy Produce Trade for the year ended June 30, 1920. "It s feared in some quarters that the Jnited Kingdom has lost its pre-war mpremacy amongst buyers in the producing markets of Denmark, Argentine, and New Zealand, and that n x future this 'Country will have to inter into competition with .North Vmerica and the Continent for sup>lies from overseas countries, which his market practically monopolised >efore the advent of control. It is tated that time and again, .when upplies were available in foreign :ountries, the Government refused to >urchase at the world's prices det ranged by shippers, and these sup)lies have' seen forced into nther tiarkets. At the same time, tinders vere forbidden to import from any breign sources. Prices Were thus ;ept down, artificially; but so. also las the supply, 'fife result was that >eople were compelled to use maVgarno to supply'■the greater part of heir requirements.-' Margarine now epresents W per cVnt. of the counries. consumption of edible fats. The rticle continues;-

"An interesting development in he colonial.dairy produce trade has leen the entry of the British Cognitive Wholesale Society into the pen markets of New Zealand, in earch of consignments of cheese and lutter.I utter. Anyone with a knowledge of to co-operative movement in Kngind is well aware that its -wowed bject is to secure goods at the lowit possible price for the. consumer: nd py co-operative trading it seeks Ir eliminate the competition among iiyers which! tends to raise prices'. m the other/hand, it is generally asumed that ieo-operation, as undertood and pjfjjtctised by the dairv fsriers of New Zealand, besides aiding rodnetionv, aims at fostering cometition amine buyers, so as to seore the highest . possible market rice for their produce. It is Nobvip that the two policies are the anthesis of one another, and it will t interesting to see how they are ) be combined. During the year tore was an arrangement in force hereby the Entente countries bought ieir imported butter in concert, Jtably in the United States and bllan6V:»air arrangement which preinted 4jp country from bidding gainst the other, ;and was intended » keep prices down below their orld's market level. Governmental Mitrol of this kind may be uhdesirl>le from the point of view of the rerseas producer; but the substituon of market control by a private xading concern having political assoHations, such as the Co-operative Vholesale Society has, would inevitbly place him at a still greater disHvantage."