THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 307, 24 June 1912, Page 7

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

; INTERVIEW WITH MR. J ,R. j CRUICKSHANK. PROSPECTS FOE NEXT SEASON. SOME INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS. Knowing the keen interest that is taken throughout Taranaki in any thing appertaining to the dairying industry, in which the prosperity of Taranaki is at present so vitally concerned, a representative of this paper waited on Mr. J. R. Cruickshank, manager of Mesßrs, Collett and Co., the well-known dairy produce merchants, who has just returned from a business visit to Great Britain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Canada, with a view to gleaning a few facts in connection with his trip that might be of interest. Naturally, having just returned, after an absence of some eight months, Mr. Cruickshank was very busy in an endeavor to overtake the press of work that lnis accumulated during his absence. The first question, of course, turned on THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY, and in reply to a question as to the condition in which the butter and cheese from New Zealand had been arriving on the English market, Mr. Cruickshank said that the quality had given general satisfaction, and, so far, the past seas-on had constituted a record with regard to j the price realised for New Zealand produce «n the Home market. This was j brought about, ox course, by a general . shortage. New Zealand cheese was, he j continued, year by year steadily increasing its hold on the English market, and was becoming an important factor to be reckoned with. There had been one or two instances of cheese arriving Home 'this season in a somewhat damaged coni dition, but it was difficult, he added, to j say, at the moment, the exact cause of the trouble. The degree of ripeness at the time of shipment and carrying temperature on the steamer were two points over which rigid control should be exercised. The question of moisture jin cheese was another matter which would bear close study and consideration. Uniformity of quality applied just iis much to cheese as to butter.

In response to a query, Mr. Cruiekshank said that it was a difficult question to say whether clieesfe or butter would be the best-paying proposition for New Zealand in the long run. Only, time could tell that. How does the sale of substitutes interfere with the demand for New ZeaI land butter ? queried our representative. J Mr. Cruickshank replied that, al- ] though the sale of margarine was inJ creasing by leaps and bounds, and was I being pushed on the market and supj ported by means of elaborate advertising, and although there had recently 1 been placed on the Home market a product manufactured from nut oil and milk, several hundred • tons of which have been sold week by week duriftg the past season, at somewhere about 60b 'per cwt., vet. strange to say, these increasing sales of substitutes do not affect J the demand for fine creamery butter one ■ iota. ' Probably, he added, in time to I come poorer grades may be affected, I but lie considered the real gilt-edged arI tiole 'would have no difficulty in holding j its''pr#fei!tit position against all classes /ol c&mpetitors. I ' Prospects' never brighter; What about the prospects for the comI nig seasoh ? was the next query, j "Well," said Mr. Cruidkshank, "one i ednnot speak with any degree Of certainty actual prices for ,tJie. coming ! season, .but, in my humble opinion, pros- ! pectsi • for New Zealand butter and cheese, not only in the Home markets, but in, other markets as well, were never brighter, and I think the New Zealand dairying industry may look forward with . confidence to the future.", „ . ,/EXTENDING OPERATIONS.

You do not think, then, that opftratiQns myst necessarily be corifmed Ol.d Coijfi.t.Ty ? , • .! Of course, was the reply," the-Old jyill always be N/ew' Zealand's m'aija "'outlet, but profitable markieti-for; considerable quantities of produce, butter jin particular, would undoubtedly 'be jOpelieii'ijp in. the near future.' it' was "somewhat difficult W ''iit bhcfe establish direct trade with Continental' Wmj'£H(}s for various reasons, yet discussions that he had 1 had wi'th''Various importing houses in Germany' aM other' European countries convinced 'Jiiih thrtt,'; providing certain 'twteiital diffi-ties;-"?oifld be overcome, H'VO'uld be Mind'-' that the countries mentioned Would prove valuable direct customers 'f{>' ! thfe cfmntr-y; n't'any .rate 'his firm would 'endeavor to pave the way 'in this direction. '

Our representative mentioned that there woifld nrobablv be an opening for other produce, say. frozi n meat, for instance, in. these Continental countries, but for the prohibitory duty. It was not so much a matter of duty, was the-Teply, but the fact that certain countries absolutely prohibited the entry of colonial meat under any pretext—»• the result of a political move engineered in the interests of farmers. I-f the entry of colonial meats could be obtained, then a tremendous field would be opened up, and, as a result, the f.o.b. value of mutton and lamb would undoubtedly firm up. Revertjng to outside markets, Mr. Cruickshank said that Canada, had already proved a,valuable customer. At the present time, however, shipping facilities were not all they might be, though no doubt these were matters which would be rectified as business increased. The fact of the matter was that whereas the United States and Canada a few years «go were s! 'ppinir butter out of the country, they '•'ire not now in a position to supply their own demands, and, as for Canada, her population was increasing at such a rate that she was bound to look round for outside sources of supplv. INDUSTRIAL TROUBLES. Asked as to how the industrial troubles, notably the great coal strike, had affected trade in England. Mr. Cruickshank said, that the coal strike was one of the most comprehensive strikes ever organised, involving over 500,000 men; but, strange to say, the stoppage of the coal mines did not bring about the immediate paralysis of trade and traffic anticipated by the miners. The railways had met the position by ) working special time-tables, and one or two large railway companies kept their complete service going throughout the whole strike. One effect of such a strike was to deplete the funds of other trades unions throughout the country. The large manufacturers were the first to feel its effects, and their men being thrown out of work naturally looked to their own unions for a measure of ! support. This was a result not anticii pa ted to such an extent. Tlie country I stood by the women and children by or- « '"wising committees to distribute food, thus relieving the miners of much responsibility. The handling of freight was affected to a certain extent, but there wa« never any question of the actual stoppage of food supplies. The Old Country, he considered, was just at the beginning of the labor troubles, and' there was no doubt that serious conj flicts between LABOR AND CAPITAL I would take place in the near future. Had the men been able to hold out; indefinitely, traffic would have ceased entirely, the large cities would have been I plunged into darkness, and lawlessness j and rioting would have resulted. There | was no apparent remedy for this. The j general concensus of opinion was that ' labor and capital must fight it out till each realised its own limitation. Then

possibly some permanent basis of settlement will be arrived at. THE LABOR LAWS. Did you hear any comment on the New Zealand labor laws ? "Yes. Hearing so much from overseas visitors of the ideal labor conditions existing in Australia and New Zealand, people at Home seemed greatly surprised to learn that both these countries are as much troubled with strikes and deadlocks as other parts of the world." What are the conditions on the Contineit 1 Strange to sty, Mr. Cruickshank replied, in almost every country visited the labor conditions were in a state of upheaval. Particularly was this the case in Germany. Asked as to the effect of future strikes at Home on the dairying industry, Mr. Cruickshank remarked that anything that affected the free passage, shipping, and handling of dairy produce was bound to have a reflex action on the industry, and in this respect we could only hope for the best. Fortunately, he added, the big coal strike at Home was brought to a conclusion before it seriously interfered with the transit of food stuffs. OIL tfOR FUEL.

In reply to a query re the flotation of the Taranaki Petroleum Company in London, Mr. Cruickshank said that although the English investors did- not seem in any hurry to underwrite shares, yet there need be no apprehension on that score. TV coal strike certainly had one effect, viz., that of bringing prominently before the public the question of other fuelß, and sooner or later that of oil supplies is bound to force itself on the attention of the investing public. Asked as to his impression of the trade outlook at Home, Mr. Cruickshank was quite optimistic. From his point of view it struck him that trade was good,, and, personally, he did not share the views of many people in Aus» tralasia that the Old Country was a back number. During the past few years appearances at Home denoted a big expansion in industries. Here and there certain lines of work had dropped behind, but the Board of Trade returns for the last few years showed up very well indeed. "In spite of the pessimistic criticism one so often hears," he added, "the Old Country seems to be very much 'all there,' and people who are so keen on criticising should bear in mind that as far as political and economical problems are concerned the Old Country is called upon to deal with problems of Empire more subtle, complex, and farreaching than any other country under the sun. Mr. Cruickshank also visited Glasgow and Dublin. There has. been a long run of big work on the Clyde, which, he supposed, must be looked upon as the centre of industrial Scotland. Some of his Scotch friends admitted to him that things were very good, and that they had great difficulty in keeping pace with their orders. "And, you know," added Mr. Cruickshank, "when a Scotchman admits things are good, there must be some truth in it."

In Dublin the Irish people were very much absorbed with the leading question of the day, viz., Home Rule —a question which touched the heart of Irish affairs. Asked as to whether he thought that Home Rule would be given to them, Mr. Cruickshank answered, "I rather think it ■ will, and, when they <lo get it, it will • be up to our Irish friends to' show us ■how a Parliament really should be run." THE WINDOW-SMASHERS. As Mr. Cruickshank was in London at the time of the celebrated' windowsmashing incident, he was asked whether the British public took the suf- | fragette movement seriously. If originality counts for anything, was the reply, the suffragettes deserve to get something. Unfortunately, up to the present they have only succeeded in getting gaol and notoriety. The spectacle of hundreds of women busily engaged in smashing windows certainly afforded a • :new sensation, and for once in a while the London policeman was nonplussed. ■He Aid not witness the actual windowsmashing process, but saw the broken windows, representing wanton damage to the extent of thousands of pounds. It is certain, said Mr. Cruickshank. that . when" the Comic History of England" was brought up-to-date, the- lady with the hammer would be allotted a prominent position. • ■ THE TITANIC DISASTER. Reference to his trip across the Atlanta brought up the question of the Titanic 'disaster, and' in response to a question, Mr. Cruickshank said that he was. in England when this occurred, but that he crossed the Atlantic a fortnight later. The disaster came as a terrible shock to every one in the Old Country. The terHble nature of the calamity was i' such that people could 'hardly realise it. Mr. Cruickshank was aboard the Allan liner Virginia, and the skipper proceeding with the utmost caution, for three days and nights thev were hung up in the midst of ice and fog. When clear of the berg area they encountered floe ice, and for hours were breaking their way through ice floes. This floe ice; of course, is comparatively thin, and offered no particular danger to vessels proceeding at reduced speed. One could not help thinking, he concluded, that if such precautions had been adopted by the Titanic this fearful catastrophe might have been averted.