FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 106, 1 June 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY

THE CHEESE QUESTION. PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON. DILEMMA OF THE DIRECTORS. The Uicciac question as still burning hotlV in the miilnds of dairy Tinners; Mill factory dit'eMbotrki who are being pushed by suppliws to provide cheese pitah 'aire wraiitSing with one of' the Diggest resppusiiffilitiiles that have ever ass.M'led th«m silnce Tlu'ry factories began (writes Hie Dominion). Responsibi»as tihey are for, the liniaJnciiial safety of five concerns wlliich they direct, they can, hardly '1» oxuiintenl to share the intpetuoyi'ty of 'tltose who are only suppliers. The Dotry Onw. in ono of the concerns Bi)at' arte being taxed on the subject, and' the poaJtion of those 'esponiiiilbLe for deriding the question is not enviaiblft When, the suppliers to a. certain crcinnicry ,bK»ld a, meeting, and demand e ciheese plaint, the courses open to the diirwtors aire:—

1. Cede the demand, by spending, perhaps, £2OOO on plaint, that may or. may not remain profitable long enough to pay it's cost. 2. Cede the demand in return for legal, guarantee*' .from tire suppliers—a, course which shifts tllie risk partly to the shoulders of the farmen'6 tf.cimiselves.

3. Reject the demand a.ud thus drive tte fniTmnrs to establish a rival factory of their own—iidvaf. in the sense of absorbing tih'j supplies Of .milk. WHAT DUAE I'LANTS WOULD MEAN. ' In, the case of a, business' having such extensive iuta'estis as the Dairy Union, with its twwty-ttooe re'eervinff stations, the vßstness of the question is evident. If the suppliers to eacih of the twentythree creameries demanded, cheese factories, the total cost 'involved might be £4(1,000—I'laill is, at- £2OOO per factory. It is, of conifcc, unlikely that any demanid so extensive will he maclei on the union directorate, tot, in view of the deimron'ds aiready Being made, the oaleulatfjon,, big as it is, has eoine meaning. Th« Da,ili<y Unkwi, w-ith its popular "]ila<\k Swan" riranld of butter, lias a prominra't .position' in the Wellington and other market's, land' this, oif course, wuKl not lie sadrifiiced. While tliiasc (fireclors who are dtttoowagmg Hie miovemenTt 'aTe obviously studying the beslt anUercsts of the donfe'cim, it has to be HdmifteS Wiat suppliers have an equal Kglhft to demands. It is a pure%- financiai matter on each aide.

CHANCES OF GOOD CHEESE PRICES. There is a strong speculative element iln .tihe .w-hoJo'tMhg. Mr'those authorities who Hinvc attempted to- gtuig» the future limit their predictions 'Of goo'd cheese nrtaeii to one, -season only. Beyond that the future seems eiltlhcr to indicate a wcnfltMwng of prices or to be a. dosed hook altogether. Here is t(he opinion of one of the teislr informed inicn in Canada, giveui about the middle of laist month, a.rid addressed to a New Zefciiland&r. He says: "The prlolapcclts are that there wilt he a» lairgc infcmease 'in, the output of cheese fnoim Canada, this yoair. Wc have lia.d two 'vary polar ydairj. for production,) on anOTumfc of the (Try "weather. These two. yearn made it took a*' though there wa's a big dcflUJnle tin, itjhe Qua'ad-ian- industry. There in tii> reaiswn to take that view of the matte, 'however, and the pretsent spring shows more activity in tihe Manrying Mile than. I have 'niotieod for many yohrs. Good common. cowS are seWng at 50 to 60 (rotors- eacili. They oaiiuo tbirough the whiter'"'™ ,good eon<lJUilo.iii, and i'f the grass comes -reasonl- - early we slunlil (have a. large jmake nt diiCy /Ihewo. We hear a great deal aibout itihe co-nifetiMion 'from New Zcalu.ni.l, and it is beginning to 'have some effect on the market.'' HOW CANADA AFFECTS THE QUESTION.

Thfe Biilt'lioTity does- not lay much stive; upon 'the ex-fi-rime scarcity of dairy cattle which the two bad seasons produced. Otter advice's received he-re from ttaida, llicwevrr, CiAve reraairked panrft'iilairly on tlito scarcity, so Mint it would appear that, while there will be an increased output oif Oi«irid'i«n cheese tliiis yf.iT, the n'umbei' -o:f cows in milk ivfl.l have to 'be greatly nuginewSed before .fclu output can overtake the volume produced th.ree oir four ycanV ago. One Miller stUt'i-s that nrdh'raTy <-onvs have been .selling at as' high as 70 dollars encih—h. prtte tilt wlliiflh ill. wouH pay even New Zca'aliidens to rear calves if the Canadian- market were accessible. A idling to lie a'hrti.ys remembered is the flnwaitft «f la tent resources whiitti exist in Canada iln regard to. milik beasts not Mtlierto contributing to the cheese jimduct, or diitiil'-in,iw*pose heifers' and old draws that 'WraiM, Mr- the face of am ordinary outlook, be iturned into beef. A ecnlMn nimher of these -will no doubt be retained in- tlbe milki-nig herds. Yet Mic view df the authorities, banked u.i liy the ruling' wires. ts(«. emphases Hi,, •liitring.-. The-high !«■<•> v.lwi:, <;,„„. dan, 'ftiTiuens mre ipnivn? for coirs, however, mdJea'le very siiriiliJinralily Uiat lliey tire maikhiß big efforts to increase Ihciir output, and villi ordinurv weather rowtiltfons one may rwiisoirably expect a iroiviroi], or. 'pciHraps. » rfiidhtlv excessive, supply , ( ,f rficose from Ca«Kufei very soon!

RESTKrOTTXC THE BUTTER EXPORT. AX AUSTRAMAX PROPOSAL. WHAT iIT WOULD MEAN HERE. The proposal of the Melbourne Tram* Ooun'cnJ, 100-king to n fcdorail export duty <on wheat, mpat and butter, to prevent rapTO'taltfon and consequent increased ip,rices, has nm i'nlt'crcst fo,r New Zealand. AiMtmiTiai Owns n consid'emble export trade, in, tatter to Somen Africa, and art export duty of even n pen,ivy per ponied, hit. tho present, time, 'would aliiMM't ccr'taiinlv drive ithnit trade to New Zealand.- Aiist'rnlßim quotations to Afrftu .f.o.b. at Kydnfcy mv just now sliMitlly siliove New Zealand idea« of vivliies, and HJ'io clfc* of the suggested export (1 tuty would ineviitaolv lie decided oaitoiifjh to tmiiisfcr the orders. But this, of course, would immediately raise New Zealand prices, and the workers m Norn- Zealand would «ia.ve to pav tflie extra, pribes wiliioh their Australian brothers wwc altteinptiinc In- it«, c dutv 1o 'escape. '

Tt would 'appear, tllierefm-e. tfliat ,'any attempt to keep down prices bv .means of exiimrh duties, must rtnise lirtsUfcidin,ess an valines .and only .result in shifting thw burden of paying from one man's shoulder ,t<, nwotWs. The workers in Noiittli. Afnea would ultimately tore to pay 'the Australian dutv'or'fcuy, perl,.ip.s. Danish or SflierWlmtler, so tliat their money would go to forei'gncirs instead of being spent, witttn. tlhe Empire. tilie preposu.l of Mie Australian workei* Mso *liows a want of appreciation, of tllie fact tfat AustrtiKa-n dairy farmers are ivoit in Hie business for the sake of ,(Jie lot-a.l trade only. Australia, produce* 30.001) Hon's of a.mfter per annum more tilian h fe™Bly consumed, and •f the outle't .for (this were closed by an export duty it would enlfatt «lie cldsine of many of ifl.o dairy farms. New Zealand produces on-er 15,000 tons) of butter pei-onnuni m-crniid albove the 7000 tons reniHivd focaMy. Tlunt (being 8 0, it is ""dent Mint two-tlhirdfi oA/hV dairy arniCTK of New Zealand would be I'lii-owji .out of emrilornvent if It became tUue poll-y oif aic country to prohibit exportation. To such an extreme fxtenf of go. I revioriK suggestions' in. New Zealand luive been m the direction of kw.s

to prohibit exnurtmtion after a centa.in dnte, tmillcai ,i, fixed i|.ii::intJt.y of iiutter, wflsoimbly sutlicil.-mt for the local winter needs, is sho.wu ii'o rwijain available. Su«h a jinlicy would add, as fur ns dairy factory direetojK and lnoifcliiinits .l.ro cqucoirjued, One 'n:|o,w lo the ailrcaily nwiierous puzzles wlliiieli cncwinbra the coimimeTtee in butter. T'he objections, however, Ito any rcstn'ictiOii to free exporta'tion of our ifarai 'produce a,rc so wei'gbt'y tllialt no dairy ifnrnrer is likely to Ibe kept nwake a i nigSi.ts by a fear of such a. polity coming into existence,