The Butter Trade.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXIV, Issue 3750, 6 April 1908, Page 2

The Butter Trade.

By Telegraph.—Press Association Auckland, Saturday.

Since the close of the butter export season there has been a steady storage of butter for local markets during winter. When the exports ceased, on March 21, with the shipment of less than one ton for the fortnight, there were 7761 boxes, or 194 tons, held in reserve in cool stores at Auckland. In the past fortnight this reserve has been added to, till it now totals over 11,500 boxes, or 2871 tons. The quantity added to reserve during the fortnight has thus been 934 tons, while the local demand, in the meantime, has been kept well supplied. The margin of output over the demand is not, of course, a very great one, and it will diminish; but if the rate of diminution is slow the local market supplied for the winter than seemed possible a month ago; and, therefore, there seems no reason for any further increase in prices. The rain, which set in with the opening of March, resulted in an abundance of good autumn feed for the dairy herds, and, in consequence, factories which at the end of February expected to close down in a week or so are able to put out sufficient butter to keep them going for a few weeks yet.

Last year at this time over 20,000 boxes, or 500 tons of butter, were in cool store, but it was not all utilised during winter, some of it being exported on the opening of the followin season, and a considerable quantity being sent to Southern markets. Assuming, therefore, that the factories are able to add another 90 tons to reserve, the demand locally should be well met during the months of May, June, July, and August.