MARKETING PRODUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1921, Page 5

MARKETING PRODUCE.

NEW ZEALAND’S POSITION, HIOII QUALITY OF BUTTER. • 1 EQUAL TO DANISH ARTICLE. Th? prospects in connection with the ■ marketing of New Zealand’s dairy produce at Home were discussed by Mr v Maurice Nathan, one of the managing l directors of Joseph Nathan, Ltd., in the> course of an interview with a Dailjj News representative yesterday. Mr. Nathan is at present on a visit to New Plymouth, after an absence from Nex Zealand of 17 years in London. Altogether Mr. Nathan has had over thirty yeats’ experience in London, Chiefly in connection with selling New Zealand butter and cheese, and is therefore fully conversant with this trade. In reviewing the Dominion’s prospect®, Mr. Nathan was optimistic that tine country would be able to hold ite oww in the world’s markets. “First of allj” he said, “we have got to remember that Siberia used, to send something likie 50,000 tons of butter yearly to the English market in pre-war day’s, 'fiive whole of this contribution is non-existent today. Denmark used to send a verylarge quantity, and J anticipate a smaMer supply from there than heretofore, for the following reason: It is credibly reported that since the Germansi 1 have, settled the reparations bill with Allies they have been in a position to purchase larger supplies of Danish butter than was the case before the watjFrance used to send a large quantity to England, but now requires more of haf own production for home owing to the devastation created in thd| northern part of the country. Consequently neither of these countries will be able to send the same quantity aa in pre-war America cannot now: produce al) the butter she requires, and ;is now a buyer of the New Zealand, product. Against these factors 1 we have the deplorable strike in England, which has' thrown over five million men out of work, which has reduced their purchasing power, and has reduced the consuming public by fully 17.000,000 tc 18,000,000 people. J As to New Zealand’s position, generally, Mr. Nathan said the Dominion held a very high position in the trade organisation, and the quality of the products were of such a high order that other things being equal we had a better chance to secure preference of trade than any other of our competitors. “Farm ers will be pleased to hear that New Zealand butter now is quite as good aa. if not better than Danish in quality/ he said. “During the war England bought merely ‘butter’; it was not a question of quality; and it was common* ly reported that Denmark practically gaVe up her voluntary system of grading and just turned out ‘butteri, mon particularly as Germany was a largi buyer and was not particular abou! quality. It was generally reported thai a great deal of it was used in muni tion works. If we keep up our quality and if we organise a better grading system by having all butter grading 91 points and over classed as ‘superfine! and all between 88 and 91 as ‘flraj grade’, I feel certain that we will gradually build up a.name for superfine buttei as we have for first grade. Quality, ir my opinion, tells all the time. I would urge the dairy farmers to agitate foi a superfine grade in butter. •' The same applies to cheese. Th< greatest point to be remembered is flavor, and then comes texture. You warn to get a clean flavored well matured cheeese. with a nice silky body ” Mr. Nathan expressed the opinion that Danish would always have a slight pre* mium over New Zealand, for the reason that New Zealand butter could not possibly be put on the breakfast table inr; England until it was at least 10 to 12weeks old, while Danish could be supplied' to the consumer easily within three to four days. It was this freshness that would always be paid for;’ otherwise he saw no reason why the New Zealand output should not bring very near the price for Danish. He feared no other competitor. Casein lias unfortunately suffered a great setback in sympathy with the oi her dairy products, having fallen eomeiTiing like £4O per ton in the last month or so. Mr. Nathan remarked that casein had to be handled very tenderly; he knew of no market which fluctuated more rapidly. Tlie question of shipping freights was next (ouched on. Mr. Nathan said that here one must read between the lines and see that freights must come down with everything else to a reasonablebasis. The shipping companies could not go on laying up steamers by the hundred; it must be cheaper to run steamers at a reasonable freight than to lay them up and let them rot. Consequently this burning question would, in his opinion, settle itself.