THE PRICE OF BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8182, 21 August 1906, Page 3

THE PRICE OF BUTTER.

NO RELIEF FOR THE CONSUME-

Per Press Association.

'Wellington, August lit,

In connection with the Trade and Labour Council's advocacy o( tho removal of tlio import duty on imported butter, owing to the' liiy.li price of the loeal article, which they allege is practically a monopoly, Jlr J. (1 Tlnrkncss, secretary of ' the National Dairy Association, writes lo the Post : "The reply to that is that llk "'tail price to-day hens is not greater (him that riding in Auckland at Is lid, Christchttrch at Is ad, and Dunedin at Js 3d. Jf the above contention is correct, it follows that then, is also a monopoly j n (lie other three cities. C'-imi the Trades Council or any consumer prove this '! Xow t! e remedy, according, to thu former body, is to remove taxation and import from the Commonwealth. Butter is quoted, at the time of writing, in ■Sydney at Is OJ wholesale. To this must bo added freight (ijd a pound) end additional cost inward, wharfage, commission,! cartage, delivery, and ordinary business risk. Will the original cost, .together with theso charges, make the value less or more than the Wellington wholesale price? The answer must be patent to all. The duty does not affect the question at all. In conclusion, let me point out this fact to the Trades Council: Consumers must pay throughout the coming season Is Id to Is 2d from Ist September, 1900, to 30th April, 1907. ,Thc season's output in bulk has been sold at from IOJd to Ud per pound f.o.b. Wellington. The Cjuautity required for local purposes will have to bo-put into pound pats, which will cost per lb more, so that the wholesale price throughout the.summer will be to 1/, and the retail price 1/1 to 1/2. Now that ■has the 'butter ring,' or the 'monopoly,' if it exists, to do with the price for this period ? It is absolutely lixocl by the figure ruling in the London market for this class of colonial produce. The evident reply to that is: Should not this principle apply throughout the year ? No ; certainly not. In reference to our winter season, say, from May to September, the conditions ai"c somewhat altered. This period is the northern hemisphere's summer, and supplies are plentiful and colonial butter is lower, and not in demand. The price hero tlicn becomes a question of supply and demand. If the Trades Council and the consumer complain that the present prices arc fictitious let them induce some retailer to make a contract for a year with some leading factory at a fixed price. This is a perfectly legitimate method of doing business. The market is open, and let us see what would be the result."