CORRESPONDENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 263, 28 March 1911, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE

TOE PRICE OF IiFTTER-FAT. To the Editor. Sir.—The dairy season is rapidly drawinir to n close in the Omata district, owing principally to the very dry weather. The butter men smiled when they sold their butler at the opening of the season at a fancy price of ll%d, and then chimed out so merrily they would pav lid per lb for butter-fat as well as a bom*. V.'ell, hard luck! they have not broken any records, merely paying lid per lb for butter-fat till the end of January, the pace being too brisk in hot weather. Many dairymen doubt if the colder pace this'winter will produce any bonus, and where from. As to the cheese factories here, one has paid out is per 11) for buter-fat, and the other HM;d from the opening of the season, and will continue to do so until closing down for the season. The proprietor or the. "Royal Oak" cheese factory has received an account of sales from' Home, showing prices on the top rung for cheese. Such prices as these look most healthy, from' the supplier's point of view. They will receive at the end of the season a substantial bonus on all butter-fat supplied if the balance of cheese sales turn out so well. Surely, Sir, if you had butter-fat to sell out here you would smile a wee bit on receiving these prices. At the same time, it is no smiling matter, if you have a big rent to pay and very little grass, and perhaps your cows going dry three months sooner than they ought, and the winter coming on (especially if you came out here and bought land at between £2O to £3O per acre). But I expect it is all right, until the slump comes in New Zealand.

All we hope for is that you in New Plymouth will keep digging away for oil and get it, also lumps of iron out of the sands.—l am, etc.. » BUTTER-FAT. Omata, March 24.