THE CHEESE QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1916, Page 5

THE CHEESE QUESTION.

THE IMPERIAL OOVERNME!«h» OFFER. WAS IT WISE TO REJECT IT J (From Our Own Correspondent,) * Wellington, August 23 j Export buyers are reported to be pa|» ing from !)d to l)y 2 d per pound for cheeijf at the present time, and the quotation! show plainly enough why the representajJ tivos of Uic producers refused the offei of Bil a pound for the season's outputl made recently by the British Board ofl Trade. The producers, it will be ranenk bered, demanded BJd per pound, andf tlie Board of Trade was not prepared t« pay this price. But the fact that con-i tracts are being mado at prices as as O'/ad per pound does not provo that tlie refusal to accept 8d was sound policy. The Board of Trade .would havd taken tlie cheese f.o.b. and would havl become responsible for getting it to th<J British market. The allocation of thj available shipping is made by the LondoN Tonnage Committee, working under th 4 direction of the Board.. The present position is that the factories and export era arc themselves responsible for ffetfl ting their cheese to Britain, and as"th« shortage of shipping is still acute, they, may find it necessary presently to ap« peal to the Board of Trade, through th«f New Zealand Government, for shipping facilities. There is no present indication of any trouble of this character, butj: the point may provetto be of soma im« c portance. ',