AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 98, 16 July 1927, Page 27

AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING

THE SEASON REVIEWED VICTORIA’S POSITION With the close of June the 1926-27 dairying season comes to an end. The season has been marked by varying conditions not only in Victoria, but practically throughout the whole of the dairying districts of the Commonwealth, states the “Australasian.” The season in this State opened favourably, the August production figures being satisfactory, and substantially exceeding those for the corresponding month in the preceding year. Useful rainfalls were experienced in the spring months, and the output made rapid headway, arrivals of butter at Melbourne at the end of September approximating 268,178 boxes, against 242,173 boxes for the first three months of the 1925-26 season. High yields continued throughout October and November, and, as usual, a decrease began to take place in December. Absence of necessary rains in December caused some doubt about production being maintained at the volume desired, and a continuance of dry weather conditions in January and February was marked by a sharp falling off in the factory output in the latter month. In March the State was barely self-supporting, and in April. May, and June, production was the lowest for those months for a number of years. In spite of unfavourable weather during the second half of the season, receipts of butter at Melbourne from Victorian factories aggregated 1.175,233 boxes, contrasted with 1,153,295 x boxes for 1925-26. IMPORTS FOR WINTER USE In view of the dry conditions which existed in the early part of the current year, some traders took the precaution to set aside butter for winter use, but it became necessary to draw upon these supplies earlier than usual, and to import from other sources to make up for the deficiency in Victorian production. Queensland and New South Wales were approached for butter, but there was a reluctance on the part of agents in those States to meet the demand. Consequently inquiries were sent to New Zealand, where a fairly large quantity of butter was purchased, not only by Victoria, but also by New South Wales, and, to a lesser extent. Western Australia and South Australia. Victoria could not afford to wait until such time as Queensland v/ould be prepared to sell, and owing to the high prices that have been demanded by sellers there when supplies are short in this centre. Victoria was infiunced to act quickly in respect to purchases of the New Zealand product. Seasonal conditions were reflected in the export trade of the State. Production during the “flush” period was on such a scale as to permit liberal shipments to be made to the British markets, and for the first seven months ended January 31, 24,791,1631 b. were shipped in that direction, compared with 22,828,1371 b. for the corresponding period in 1925-26. Thereafter, to the end of June, exports to the’ United Kingdom were relatively insignificant, although the total sent to Great Britain and other markets for the 12 months exceeded that of the preceding year. Trade with the East was well maintained as far as Java was concerned, and Victoria supplies practically all of the butter required to be imported by that country.