BUTTER EXPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1920, Page 5

BUTTER EXPORT.

FURTHER COMMANDERS A SIGNIFICANT MESSUfIg '■ iM MR. A. MORTON mTBRVmWrfW Considerable interest was arouit|§9 Taranaki yesterday by the cabte<a|H sage from London, published piorning,.stating that the BritUhfßM Istry of Food was 1 prepared t? netfMSjH for the exportable surplus of land butter to March 31, M similar to those 6f the tracts. Tho impression message was that, the Imperial QjjSlH ment proposed to contiruie ths "m(9 mandeer of New Zealand butted March, 31, 1921, and it' fet indication fchat the Qovfe4fl3H contemplated such a course. _ With the object of significance of the statement" ajnßl News reporter yesterday inti(*i39 Mr. Arthur Morton (chairman National Dairy Association). ]||H ton remarked that when message the only conclusion draw was that the Imperial GovmShH had decided to continue the until March 31, 1921. The positfefiflKl been that the members of the Footfllßl istry had been divided amount Selves as to whether they should control, or de-control the price offtaH stuffs. It now appeared that thavslH arrived at a decision to retain principally in regard tof butter. This meant that the Food M&HaHi intended to control not'only the J(fl| but the imports of butter, and way they could do this was by mg it themselves. The effect apparent decision would be that Zealand producers would not boiUHnH go into the open market with <>n>|rTUH ter until after March 21,1921. 'JB NO OPEN MARKET. 'nH "We have been asking them' i»lw9 control the price of butter and iaCwU move all restrictions on the prtwaflfll ter at Home," added Mr. ftfnVfnn «JEI would result in our butter actual market price, just the the English and Irish butter the prelient time. That butter irilH selhng at from 3s to 3s 6d a nounfSß tail, but the removal of ntmSSBK would not necessarily mean an inttttHH in the price of our butter to amount. There is naturally a t>r«lt3S agamst imported butter, even' tuBH it opens up as fresh at when it IMB frozen. First grade butter does .23 frozen"' 7 ln qUality thr o«gl» MMI ■ "Obviously," remarked Mr. Morton." Ji reply to a question as to negotiations with the "n nnrratlfß Wholesale Society would hare to heSa continued, "we will not be alimdSl market pur butter through «ny«Tdi cept the Imperial Government ttseUiSfl til after March 31st next."* Iff V<£jl ton explained that there was a, 23 deal of misapprehension in regard proposal to sell New Zealand £*2 l hrough the O.W.S. The proposal m2s«fl was that New Zealand butter sold on the open floor in London. Mil that the producers would receive the rnU'J mg market price of the time, while aJira being assisted financially by the C.W.B^

imports not NORMAL . i Mr Morton explained that nrob*M* one of the reasons why the-British M® J^. llad f mated to continue ffi commandeer of butter and control'gl Lifn- Cftuae the imports into qr3£ Br tain were RtiU enormously below m.'; = ents. The year before,® 210,000 tens were imported, and Inst year for which he had seen toils 63 th 6 am ° Unt llad f al ' on to 71,0001 Mr. Morton mentioned that he hkrt' reoently seen a report of a meetfta held :n England, at which Mr <T?I MeCurdy, Mr. G. H„ Roberts, and ,', V, : vere Peasant, all 0 f wWrn 1 in 1 J ood Contl 'olierg, and thev ■all agreed that it would be a long time « before normal imports would be reached \ If hultT 'T\f that this yew imports ' of butter would not reach 100,000 tone ' which was less than half tlia nnnnai' 0 imports. In the interests of the people l p»n agr at . St was necessary to ■' keep some restriction on prices and / would°i t8 aCtUally s "Bg®Bted that it yould be necessary for the Ministry of •ood to control the prices of foodstuffs for at least another five years, because he contended, it- would take all that "5® to 8* back to normal. There still a great demand for butter, and production bad been decreasing instead of increasing. At oresent. added Mr. Morton, the aHowaZ P i W J eelc P 9r head of .population in England was 1J oz, and asbutUr If • i *i. ,r ! , Government wag afraid the wealthy people would be prepared to pay any price, however Mali, m order to obtain it if the Government ceased control. When the English a»d fW i was de-ontroUed prices at first jumped, up to 5s per lb, but thev aoon dropped to 3s to 3g Od per lb. THE PRICE IN BRITAIN. Mr. Morton mentioned that befijretlie W , M , ai " was Seeing a big supply of butter from Siberia, and thts had entirely ceased. The Danish import, had also decreased, and New Zealand had sent only 13,000 tons last vear aa compared 20,000 tons the year £ fore. Even in this country there had been a big decrease in the production of butter, owing to so many factories ' cnangmg over to cheeße, , , . Regarding the price to the ' public, Mr. Morton estimated that this ' would be 3fi, and that the dairy factones would net about 2s 3d. On tha question of supplying the local market, ' Mr. Massey had given an assurance that tlm producers would receive a price equal to the export value of their prodnce which m this case would be about ■ 2s 3d. There was still some-doubt re- . prdmg the price for local consumption.