THE CHEESE PURCHASE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1917, Page 2

THE CHEESE PURCHASE.

POSITION OF PRIVATE CONTRACTS. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. / (Own Correspondent ) Wellington, .Inn, !>. Hip price to lie paid liv i ',<■ Tmperial for New Zealand cheese, bought f.o.b. in Hiis count,] y i* substantially higher than tile eirly reports gave ground for expecting Producers wiio are to receive Old for their cheese in New Zealand ports may esteem themselves fortunate, since there is no doubt that the "rave shortage o; shipping would have forced them to accept a lower rate if il, had been offered. Some points remain to '■ adjusted. "We have still to deal w:, , the problem of private sales," said tie Minister for Agriculture this evening. "Many of the factories have contracted for the sale of their output already, h;it we do not know the terms of the deals. Some

:.r' the contracts contained clauses providing for the possibility of the Governincnt commandeering tiio cheese, but others did not. We are going to ask the factories and the merchants to put the facts clearly before the. Government, and we will try then to arrange matters on a fair basis. The cheese n.;;st all be placed on the same basis. J;' it is not, the cheese bought by the Imperial Government i s likely to have preference in the matter of shipping space, and 1 need hardly explain what that means to consignments bought by merchants." The Minister did not e.vplain the intentions of the Government, but his remarks indicated that, only the cheese acquired by the Imperial authorities under the new arrangement lias a reasonable chance of getting to tlu" Briti.-li market, without the delay that spell,; deterioration. This being the case, it may be assumed that existing contracts, made on the assumption that ordinary shipping facilities world bo available, will have to be revised, at least in some eases. The Imperial authorities are not making any threats or trying to force Ihe hands of producers. The umplc fact.

that they are concerned only with ti c provision of cheese for army purposes, and New Zealand must make its arrangements accordingly.

By waiting and refusing to accept the previous offer made to them the dairy farmers of the Dominion get another yd per lb on their previous otter for the vftliole of their output. The Imperial authorities' former proposal was practically Id less than the present price, and was only for a small proportion of the total output. It, should be mentioned that the farmers have largely to thank Taranaki representatives for the increase received (says t.'v Hawera Star). One of the members of the Producers' Committee, interviewed by a Star reporter, said that when they were assured that the commandeering price had been fixed, the committee met, to draw up the conditions of purchase. When they met, the New Zealand Hoard of Trade they found that the hitter ii-id also considered the question. : nd it was found that the two sets wcr. strikingly similar. These conditions have to he

submitted for approval to 1 lie British, Board of Trade He said that dairy company finance was practicably assured, even if there should be dillV-ulty with ngard to shipping space, because the conditions, practically amount to paying ex store. It is understood, however, that shipping will be available pr.i'tically at once, and the committee i ave been given to understand that thnc may be four boats this month. This would absolntely solve the storage 'iiiestion, because they could commence 1-. ading the Patea steamers verv soon.. One very satisfactory feature of the whole cheese cuicrtion is that the Canadian factories 'are on practically the same footing as New Zealand. This, it will be romemibered. was a question that last year caused a great deal of dissatisfaction.