PERSONAL. THE BUTTER INDUSTRY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9064, 13 April 1908, Page 5

PERSONAL.

THE BUTTER INDUSTRY.

Mr Massey, leader of the Opposition, is at present making a short stay in Wellington. Mr A. Gray of the Featherstcm Railway staff is on sick leave and left on Friday morning for tiydney. Mr and Mrs. W. Hume, of Lower Valley, left on k a holiday Uip to Sydney on Friday. Dr and Mrs Dawson, of Pahiatua, intend visiting the Old Country, and will leave on April 23rd. Mr Hall, of the Featherston Railway staff has been transferred to Woodville He will be succeeded by Mr Hargrenves, of Woodville. Mr J. Gifford, of the railway staff at Ekofcahuna, has been transferred to Masterton. He will be succeeded by Mr G. Jackson, of Masterton. Constable Hammond, of Featherston, is unable to carry out his duties through illness, and is being relieved by Constable Fleming, of Wellington. ' Mr Pollock, Presbyterian student, conducted the services at the Carterton Presbyterian Church yesterday, in the absence of the Rev. L.S'fhompson, who is at present in the South Island on private business. \

♦ STARTLING ALLEGATIONS. BY TKLEORAI'It —I'RKSS ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, April 11. The New Zealand Produce Commissioner at Home (Mr H. C. Cameron), together with the Chief Dairy Commissioner (Mr D. Cuddie), have been making the rounds of the butter houses at Home, and as a result Mr Cameron cabled to the Prime Minister, and followed up the cable with a letter which made some rather startling allegations against _ those concerned in the industry at this end. 'lhese statements were referred to by a "Herald" representative yesterday to a number of firms engaged in buying factory outputs on contract. One prominent buyer said there were undoubtedly shortages on contracts made with Home firms, but equally so there were great shortages on contracts made by factories with buyers here. Ha produced a list to show the shortage in the case of each factory he had contracted with, revealing an average deficiency of 20 per cent, over all the contracts. Asked as to what he attributed the shortages, he replied that the butter business was really a gamble on the weather. The phenomenally good season in 1906-7 had resulted in big outputs and for the contracts for 1907-8 the factories were rather inclined to estimate the outputs on the basis of the previous season. Another gentleman closely coticernel in the trade said that unfortunately in some parts of New Zealand the charges made by Mr Cameron were "true bill." Some operators on the market had adopted the "swinging over" dodge. They had bought outputs up to the end of March,sand had closed contracts with Home firms at prices ranging from lOgd to 10Jd, and then prices went up in the dominion to such amounts as 13Jd and 14d, and the operators lessened their export, and sold butter in Now Zealand at these prices, taking the chances of meeting the claims of Home purchasers for shortages on contracts. The Home firms would claim for the shortage on contracts at the difference between the price the contract stipulated they should pay and what the produce was worth on the Home market. This would work out at from ljd to IJd per lb, so that the operators reaped the balance of difference between this and the prices realised in New Zealand. Whatever had been done in that line had been done within the dominion, and there had been no shipping past the Home firms. Of course it was a questionable practice, and would do harir. to the industry. Undoubtedly there was a shortage owing to the dry period, but the shortage on the Home contracts was greater than the shortage on the actual factory outputs. The dry season had caused the whole thing, it having resulted in short supplies and high prices on the local markets, and hence the temptation to "swing over."