BUTTER AND CHEESE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 May 1920, Page 5

BUTTER AND CHEESE.

NEXT SEASON'S PRICES. (From Our Own Cormpondent.) - Stratford, May Ik. Reliable information as regards nut season's prices for butter and cheese hat 'i been received by a gentleman prominent* ly connected with the dairy industry In Stratford. He states that on the fixed selling price of 3a per lb net for imported ' butter in London, the dairy factories will •' receive 2s. 3d per pound clear, plus 3d v per pound for casein to those factorial manufacturing it. While the present price of cheese continues, and no in- , crease in shipping rates is made, the ' cheese factories should net about the, 1 same amount per pound. ,; ,i BUTTER OR CHEESE f , INTERVIEW WITH MR. R. . ELLISON.

Speaking to a reporter, Mr. R. Ellisfn, representative in England of the Afc* tional Dairy Association of New Zealand* who is now in New Plymouth, had a few remarks to make of iatanst to dairymen. "The old discussion, Bttt> iet v. Cheese, which was definitely decided in favor of cheese during wiir time, has once more come into prominence under the altered conditions ,pf peace," said Mr. Ellison, who expressed ' the opinion that those factories havfog a dual plant should watch the markets carefully, and be ready to change bhtk to butter at any time; for though It in now known £hat butter is to be controlfed in Britain by the Food Ministry, there Is mo certainty as to the price which will be returnable to farmers, but at U» isame time the speaker discouraged, M (highly improbable, the suggestion of batter prices soaring to 4s or Ss per lb, Hi* cept perhaps for a month or two at fjbq "'tween season" periods. In view of this uncertainty of priee, iMr. Ellison was of opinion that it iWf hardly wise at the present juncture t» give any pronouncement as to which product would pay the better. Regarding cheese, he pointed out that it WasufldSrstood that the English Government would not again purchase any quantity Of cheese, and thus for at least the cotilLog season cheese would be placed on. {ha ope.n market. The retail 'prjee of controlled cheese was Ir 8d per lb to-day *• England, but it was a matter for eg jeeture as to whether the price wo# „ recede or be maintained now that t war was over, and the answer wot happen in regard to the Home Mai During the war time every facility a endeavor was made to increase the « put of cheese in England, in view of i value as a meat, substitute, and durii last season Very large quantities' turned out, but whether in view of

lincreased meat supply this output wot be maintained was questionable. Anotl; governing factor was the price of W milk, which, under the food control, vt ibeiiig- retailed at la.per quart in the wj '■ - ter, and sold readily at that figure durii the winter just passing, naturally payii the farmer far better than nrnnufaotairs| it into anything. As the summer < v vanced, however, and the milk supply lj creased, this price will probably havetendency to fall, and the British daily farmer would then manufacture the mil ' product which paid him best. This xrtthe point, which New Zealand shoal' watch, though for the next season or two, 'Mr, Ellison predicted that remunerative prices would rule for both products. : The influence of meat on the cheese market, and margarine on the butter trade, was also touched on, but it WH pointed out that during the war the demand for cheese as a meat substitute had (brought the former into much greatfer prominence, and more general use than : it had ever enjoyed before, and it vu hardly to be expected that for some yean at least tlip thousands who got the "cheese habit" would altogether drop It, and return to meat only so long as the right quality of cheese was placed on the market. At the same time, the watchword for the future was watchfulness of 'the tendency of Home markets, so that A change in the tide might be taken advantage of.