The evening times., 1900-09-24
DAIRY PRODUCTS ABROAD.
The S"nsuns nsption of Butter. Cheese
md Egss In 1.renf Rrit.iu

ana Eggs in Great Britain.
Marshal Halstead. United States Consul
at Birmingham, has sent to the State De-
partnent communication on the British
butter. cheess. and egg market, which. it
is thought. VIII n9oye of value TO the pro-
ducers in this country. Mr. Haistead
writes:
Il enclose an extract from the London
Times, which deals with the butter and
cheese importations, and shows that the
Australian butter imports into Great Bri-
tam this year exceeded by 10. 200 tons the
previous highest annual import, and was
an increase of II, 006 tons over that of last
year-nearly double the increase in a sin
gle year that any country in the world has
previously made. There has however
been decrease in prices since the begin
ming OF October, and noteworthy point is
the decrease as compared with Danish but
| ter Ihe act which limits the amount of
| outter TO 10 per cent in margarin mixtures
mas the effect that competition is now be-
tween mafgarin and pure butter, high
1 CLASS margarin mixtures no longer com
peting with butter.
Tine importation of cheese into this
country is decreasing, there being less
| general consumption, owing TO the pros
perity OF the working classes and the
cheapness Of meat. Canada has the import
held here TO itself. France and the UniiEa
states are losing hold OF the British mar
ket, France being suppIanted by Belgium
and the United States by Canada United
States consuls have for many years point
ed out that the shipment of filed cheeses
! from the United States would kill the de-
mand for cheese from that country. and
! this prediction now seems to have come
/ true
The extract from the London Times.
! follows:
Two records were established during
| the recent Australasian butter season, and
! both must be regarded as complimentary
| to dairy farmers in the antipodes In the
first place, during the eight months shat
ended on April 50 last, nearly q. 600 tons
OF Australasian butter were discharged at
| ports of the United Kingdom, an excess
| over the previous highest annual import
| OF lo,20O tons. In the second place, the
/ increase of the season 1899 1900 as coTn-
| pared with It's immediate predecessor was
no less than II geo tons, which is nearly
double the Increase in d single year that
any country in the world has ever previ-
ously made. Messrs. WeddeI & Co, in
their annual report, do well to call atten-
tion TO these facts, as also 10 the circum-
stance that the Australasian butter season
began earlier and continued later than on
any previous occasion. There was how
ever. continuous decline in prices. as at
tiiS DeStHHlHS OF OCTOBER ''ChoiCeSt AUS
.ralasian brands made $30.66 per hundred
weight (112 pounds, when there set in a
gradual fall to sz2.87 at the END of April
the decline amounting TO $7.78. To the to-
tai import, Australia contributed I7.207
tons and New Zealand 7,465 tons, these be
ing increases Of 1850 tons and 3 1898 tons
respectively. on the preceding season.
Canada. like New Zealand exhibits. sea-
son by season, steady increase
without hat
sion which unfortunately has been
one OF the characteristics of the
DAIRY business in every colony of Austria
liza, as a consequence mainly of drought
The average price of Australasiaa butter
in 1S9S-l9G0 works out at about the same
in the previous season-S25.05 05 per hun
dredweight (112. pounds)-but the most
noteworthy point is the decreasing value
as compared with Danish butter. Thus In
1855. Danish averaged only s120 per
hundfedweisht more than Australasian. |
whereas last season the difference
amounted to S3.22
Among the reasons advanced By agents
Tor this expanding difference is that the
colonial butter is not so goc4 as it was
whlie Danish is getting better. Such
however is not the case: for Australia
sian butter improves year by year, and is |
now so close in its intrinsic merits 20 |
Danish that large quantities of ii are re- !
tailed at the same price. That some of !
the Australian brands suffered from fish /
mess is true; but fshiress is almost IN |
known in New Zealand buffers. which are
pressing Danish very hard fn the matter |
or quality The principal reasons for the |
greater disparity in prices in the recent
season were the diminished supply of /
Danish and the greatly increased quanti-
~ of Australasian butter ON the market
The sale of food and drugs act lieh
came into operation on January l and
limits the amount of butter TO 10 per
cent. in margarin mixtures. is hayirE |
beneficial effect. and in the future che /
competition will be mostly between pure
margarin and pure butter. High-class
margarin mixtures can no longer compete
with butter. and this is as it should be-
After Easter. instead of the prices of but
ter declining, as has been the experience
IN recent years, they actually advanced
all through May and June a fact easily
accounted for by the lessened coz Deti-
tiOn of margarin mixtures. It is dAriIg
the midwinter months that the colonial
butter from Australasia arrives on orr
markets. while that from Canada begins
to arrive in July and virtually ceases in
the following January. The bulk of the
Canadian butter thus reaches US during
August, September, and October; the bulk
of the Australasia in December, Janu-
airy. and February.
Our growing imports of butter find no
parallel in the case of cheese. which is be-
coming year by year less an article of gen
eTal consumption. owing to the prosperity
of the working classes and the cheapness
of imported meat. During the last decade
our imports of cheese has grown only by I
p, 500 tons. while that of butter has in
creased by Il Geo tens. In the season OF |
1899 1900 Our imports of cheese were 55-
903 tons of foreign and 74,T02 tons of CO.
lCnial. as much as 70,549 tons of the latter 4
being Canadian. Indeed in colonial i'm.
ported cheese Canada virtually has the field
to itself, but even the imports from the
Dominion have declined during the last i
year by nearly 5.eGf TONS apparently be- :
cause the Canadian dairyTaen-as was men, !
toned in the Times some weeks since /;
have turned their attention more particu- ;
larly to the export Of butter. which has ;
increased by nearly 6,00J
tons. From foreign countries the declina :
in our imports of cheese mainly affects the .
United States. France is also losing its :
hold on the British market and is being !:
by Beigium- As regards the
coming season, there i every prospect !.
hat Australasia will again send US large. :
quantities OF butter. though it is hardly a
probable that the increase will equal that .
Of the season 1S99-1900. The Canadian
Increase. but il is unlikely that the United I
States viii send US more butter than in $
he past season Larger imports are al c
most certain to come from Europe, while =
moderate increase in the home produc- y
ion may likewise be anticipated'' 5
R1sz