THE AUCKLAND SEASON

Shannon News, 11 May 1928, Page 4

THE AUCKLAND SEASON

RECORD TOTAL TO DATE. LEAD MAY STILL BE HELD. DOWNWARD MOVEMENT CHECKED. Hopes that Auckland’s dairying output this season will maintain the record figures so far established, in spite of the effect of the recent dry spell in checking production, are encouraged by a survey of the latest statistics.

The butter-fat yield for the season to date in Auckland has been 83,180,7791 b., compared with 82,023,2621 b. for the corresponding period of last season } which was a record, an increase of 1.157,5171 b. Although the favourable margin has been considerably narrowed during the past month or so, the fortnightly returns prepared by the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company shows that the retrograde movement has been stayed. There have been several useful falls of ran since the breaking of the dry spell early this month, giving colour to anticipations that the next fortnightly returns will disclose a butterfat yield more closely approximating the figures for the corresponding period of last year.

The produce received in store during the past fortnight comprised 61,206 boxes of butter and 5607 crates of cheese compared with 88,882/boxes of butter and 8817 crates of cheese dui’ing the similar period a Converted to terms of butter-fat, the past fortnight’s yield was 3,222,8921 b. against 4,724,323 in the 1927 period, a decline of ,1,501,431ib.

A survey of the figures for the season toMate shows that while there has been increased production of butter compared with the 1926-27 considerably less cheese has been made. Since July 1, 1,605,822 boxes of butter have been received into store, an increase of 48,535 boxes over the preceding season. The quantity of cheese received was 127,237 crates, a decline of 15,761 crates on the same comparison.

Considerably less produce is at present held in store in Auckland than was the case a year ago. The quan-> titles are 122,451 boxes of butter and 13,248 crates of cheese, compared with 321,246 boxes of butter, and 31,98S crates of cheese on the same date last year.

The fact that the stocks of butter on hand are 200,000 boxes less than at this time last year is of particular interest in view of the fact that a good deal of butter which was withheld from export some time ago for winter consumption in New Zealand will now be sent overseas. That, of course, is a sequel to the recovery of the London market. It has been stated that cancellations of shipping space made when withdrawals from export were announced are now embarrassing exporters, who find that much of the unused space has been filled with frozen meat. It would appear, however, that stocks are so lightly held in Auckland that the position hero cannot # be acute, although owners of butter are naturally desirous of taking the fullest advantage of the current market values.