BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 64, 16 March 1903, Page 2

BUTTER.

The latest cable messages are, says the Wellington Post, a great deal more favourable with respect to the butter market, and the position should continue satisfactory until the Easter trade is over. After that time, Continental I and Canadian supplies will be coming Forward in increasing quantities to take the place of the diminishing supplies from the colonies. The statistics dealing with the imports of buttor into the United Kingdom are of interest to us, as showing not only our contribution to the total, but also as to the quantities supplied by competitors. The figures as issued by the Board of Trade for the past two years are as under:

1901. 1902. Colonies. owt. cwt. Canada 215,588 285,765 New South Wales... 59.597 17,621 New Zealand ... 167,343 157,'993 Queensland ... 53 20 Victoria ... . ... 186,141 62,819 628,722 524,218 Foreign Countries. Denmark 1,597,186 1,703,032 France 811,601 414,141 Germany 26 983 26,418 Holland 298,912 393,261 Russia 378.452 489,091 Sweden 180,212 191 591 United States ... 150,126 54,458 Other countries ... 130,696 177,967 3,074,168 3,449,959 Grand totals ... 3,702,890 3,974,177 The figures are instructive. The c.ilonial output shows a great shortagp, due entirely to the adverse conditions prevailing in Australia last year. The New Zealand contribution is nearly 10,000cwt, less, this being brought about by the diversion of supplies to Australia and South Africa. The total from foreign countries exhibits great expansion, the chief contributors to the itcrease being Denmark, Russia, Holland, and France. There is a very big shortage in the imports from the TJi i'ed States. Russia is becoming & very formidable competitor in this branch of trade, and in two years the exports to Great Britain have doubled. In 1900 the British markets received 209,738cwt. of Russian butter, while last year the quantity increased to 489,091 cwt. The colonial proportion of the total is about one-seventh, and there is thus ample scope for growth. The value of the total imports of butter in<o the United Kingdom last year is estimated to exceed £19,000.000.