Dairying Not Distressed

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1003, 20 June 1930, Page 10

Dairying Not Distressed

BANK REVIEW OF EXPORTS From Our Resident Reporter WELLINGTON, Today. A VALUABLE study of New Zealand’s principal exports was presented by the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of New Zealand, Sir George Elliot, in his address to the shareholders this morning. One opinion expressed by the chairman \ra> : "Becans. prices for butter and cheese have fallen materially, dairy production has lately been classed, 1 think wrongly, amongthe distressed industries.”

Sir George said the progress in the dairy industry had been comparatively small, considering that made during the past few years, though there had been a substantial increase in wool clips. From 1920 to last season. the milk handled at the dairy factories had increased by 100 per cent. He gave these figures of dairy produce exports, in each case for the year ended March 31:

While the exports for the past year showed a slight decline, there were yet 9,500 tons more butter in store in N'ew Zealand than at March 31, 1929. The figures relating to shipments also were compiled by the Customs Department from returns which need not be furnished until a few days after a vessel sailed. Discrepancy could arise between two seasons. INCREASE THIS SEASON The Dairy Export Control Board's !! S ir.\ Sh 2 Wed that - ln comparison with the first nine months of last season, the same period of this season showed an increase in butter manufactured and sent into grading stores of 18.25 per cent., tnd, in cheese, a decrease of 0.23 per cent Increased production was due largely to better stock management and the use of fertilisers. Fertilisers im-

ported in 1919 were .6.957 tons, but in 1929 they were 362,157 tons. Referring to the American dairy industry, the chairman said it no doubt had been stimulated by high prices, by the immense protected market for the producer, and by heavy duty on imported dairy produce. Ten years ago, the customs duty on butter imported into the United States was 2J cents a pound; if a pending Bill became law. this duty would be 15 cents. Fewer cows -were being milked in America, but the field of supply was much greater. It -was claimed that importations could not compete in price with the local article, even were protective duties abolished, except on rare occasions when w-eather or other circumstances affected the position. Owing to better butter-fat production and the stimulations mentioned, the price had recently declined 10 cents a pound from a level already unattractive to importers of foreign butter. ASSURING MARKET The position went to prove to an j extent that a duty on imported i foreign foodstuffs in Great Britain j would not, in the long run, add to the cost of living there. It was even conceivable that such an imposition might contribute to a reduction in the cost of living. It would give to the British farmer, and Empire farmers an assured market. Xew- Zealand dairy farmers no doubt were doing much to improve the productivity of their herds by more scientific cultivation of the soil, by fertilisers, by herd-testing, and herd selection, but little was heard of attempts to increase the yield and to prolong the lactation period by the judicial use of concentrated cattle foods. In Denmark and the United Kingdom, excellent results were being gained, especially where the growth of grass had * begun to dimmish. As none of the ingredients was produced m New Zealand, except a. small quantity of linseed, the Government might well consider abolishing the levied on all imported artificial cattle foods.

BUTTER Cwts. Value. 1920 . . 1921 1922 .. 1923 . . 1924 . . 1925 .. 1926 . . 3 927 1928 !! 1929 .. 1930 . . 310,283 476,730 889,634 1,215,351 .. 1,200,460 . . 1,370,034 - - 1,156,326 1,238,032 . . 1,578,299 - . 1,605,565 .. 1,599,407 2.832*,991 6,114.464 8.885.S20 10,324,574 10,445,832 12,063,265 9,368,371 9,033,381 11,964,431 13,041,494 12,022,440 CHEESE Cwts. Value. 1920 . . 1921 .. 1922 .. 1923 . . 1924 .. 1925 .. T926 .. 1927 . . 1928 .. 1929 . . 1930 . . .. 1,540,949 . - 1,208,263 1,396,844 .. 1,274,354 -- 1,589,017 . . 1,454,708 • - 1.347.638 1,515,525 - - 1,564.449 .. 1.709,167 1,618,537 7,720,366 6.514,519 7,615,254 5.324,754 7,354,651 6,161,580 5,829,548 5,774,113 6.092,900 7.296,804 6,2S0,213