General Notes. 669 



smooth vending ? Hudson Brothers inform me that they never buy 

 butter by brand or Government grading ; they examine every parcel 

 for themselves. ' We consider, however, that Government grading 

 is good, and that it should be encouraged. Buyers can place some 

 dependence upon goods so treated,' they said. The other gentlemen, 

 whose remarks are above, referred to Government grading as a great 

 cover to the f.o.b. buyer ; it protects the buyer, who knows that he 

 can depend upon the soundness of the goods ; though the gentleman 

 went on to say that he had known first Government grades New 

 Zealand butter to arrive fishy. On the whole, he thought the New 

 Zealand inspection system a very sound and correct one. Messrs. 

 Trengrouse are of opinion that a great part of New Zealand butter 

 here is sold simply on the recommendation of the first Government 

 grade mark. Buyers write : — " Send us so much of first Government 

 grade week by week." These buyers don't bother about brands 

 except in a secondary way; their dependence is on the Government 

 brand. No doubt they get to know and like certain brands, but 

 without doubt the Government grade is their main reliance. To sum 

 up. In the first place. Government grading and inspection are, of 

 course, highly approved of here by all persons interested in the 

 colonial butter trade ; whether it has any important and considerable 

 eifect in promoting higher values or not, the general tendency must 

 be for good. The New Zealand methods inspire confidence in buyers 

 here, and lead to an extension of forward buying. Though the first 

 Government grading mark encourages buyers, most of them go by 

 the brands, I think, and would hardly be likely to order 100 boxes of 

 first Government grading butter entirely on the strength of this 

 mark. In the cases mentioned by Messrs. Trengrouse probably their 

 customers referred to have in mind the guarantee, in a sense, which 

 they possess in ordering through such a leading house. But, after all, 

 we must bear in mind that our large buyers go on their own expert 

 judgment. In ordering certain brands they only purchase those 

 special factories on the strength of the reputation for uniformity 

 which the latter have established, these brands having met the require- 

 ments of the buyers when they were first sampled. London butter 

 merchants have as acute palates for their goods as have tea-tasters, 

 and they buy particular factories because the output from these meets 

 their wants and maintains its uniform good quality, and they approve 

 of Government grading because they have got to know that it 

 indicates general soundness in all departments of butter manufacture. 

 The Victorian system, "Approved for Export" and "Pastry," is put 

 into the shade by the more thorough New Zealand method. As I 

 said above, I am speaking solely from oiir point of view, and the 

 Victorian Government mark is considered here too vague, and too 

 much wanting in thoroughness, to have any effect upon buyers. — 

 Auckland Weekly News. 



