DOMINION BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 April 1922, Page 12

DOMINION BUTTER.

PRICES IN BRITAIN. COMPARISON WITH DANISH. Details of the campaign inaugurated in Britain by the Tooley Street butter merchants in favor of New Zealand butter have been received in the Dominion from Messrs. W. Weddel and Co., Limited, of London. A letter, dated February 15 states that an expert in propaganda work was engaged to start the campaign. For the present he was confining his work to articles and paragraphs in as many newspapers, journals, trade papers, etc., as possible. “Up till now,” continues the letter, “stress has been laid principally upon the large arrivals of New Zealand butter and the relatively cheap price of this article compared with the highpriced Danish and other foreign butters,' such, as Dutch, Swedish, and Finnish, but from now onwards more emphasis will be made on the magnificent quality of New Zealand butter, and the principal object to be obtained is the raising of the retail price so that this can more nearly approach the price of Danish. It is also thought advisable that future reference to New Zealand butter should not bear comparison with Danish butter so much as with ‘foreign’ butters as the constant reference to the difference in price between New Zealand and Danish, is likely to bring Danish butter into prominence, which is, of course, the last thing we desire. “The organiser is in touch with a large number of ladies’ papers and is distributing free one pound samples of New ' Zealand butter in various quarters at our expense, the idea being to convince certain people of the outstanding quality of New Zealand butter. The question may be raised 'in New. Zealand as to why the importers and agents here have not decided on advertising New Zealand butter in the Press generally, and in the various trade papers throughout the country, but in view of the fact that there is still a large quantity of old stored Government New Zealand butter on sale, through the retail trade, it was thought advisable that the time was not opportune for such methods.”

DENMARK'S ADVANTAGES. Referring to the reasons for the disparity in price between New Zealand and ’Danish butter this season, the writers state: “We can quite understand the dissatisfaction which has been felt in New Zealand in regard to the extraordinary disparity between the price of Danish and New Zealand butter throughout the present season, but in fairness to importers here, we would point out that th e Danes this season have made altogether exceptional prices for a very large proportion of their butter, for sale to Continental counties, such as Belgium, France, Switzerland and Germany, and as regards Belgium and France, have made extraordinary premiums for unsalted butter. These conditions 'have enabled them to ‘put the screw’ on British buyers, who are not likely to forget this treatment. Unfortunately there are certain firms in this country who will buy Danish butter, no matter what the price is, and when firms who have branches all over the United Kingdom insist on making a specialty of Danish butter it is small wonder that the- Danes hold the whip hand. Ther are scores of buyers in the Midlands, North Country, Scotch and Irish trade who have been specialising in Danish butter for 20 years or more. This season, however, owing to the abnormal difference between the price of New Zealand and Danish butter, the prejudice against New Zealand butter has been largely broken down, and there never was a better opportunity for introducing colonial butter into the very strongholds for Danish. One large company has been forced, owing to short supplies of Danish, to run New Zealand butter in their shops, and has become one of the largest operators on the market for this article. Unfortunately they will not recognise the fact that this New Zealand butter, instead of being sold at 4d tc 5d a lb. under Danish, should at the very outside be retailed at not less than 2d a lb. under Danish. We are quite aware of the fact that it will be difficult to convince the average New Zealander that Danish butter is worth 2d more in normal markets than New Zealand, but unfortunately this state of affairs has existed so long in those districts where Danish is paramount, that it will be very difficult to get the public who have been buying Danish, to pay the same price for New Zealand.”

DELAY IN UNLOADING. Other reasons mentioned as detrimentally affecting the price of the Dominion ’ product on the Home market this season are the irregularity of supplies and delays in unloading consignments from vessels after arrival in port. Satisfaction is expressed at the manner in which the High Commissioner in London, Sir James Allen, is co-operating with the butter importers. A statement issued by Sir James Allen in connection with the campaiign expresses gratification at the growing popularity of the Dominion product at Home, more especially seeing that during recent years a great number of ex-service men have taken up dairy farming. Referring to the manner in which the butter is produced Sir James states that “at every stage of the business highly qualified officers of the State are in sympathetic contact with the producer and the factory management —not so much in the capacity of inspectors as of experienced friends who are prepared to take the utmost trouble to secure good results. The grading system for the finished product is a model for the rest of the world, and not a single box of New Zealand butter is allowed to be exported without having been grade<l carefully by Government experts.”