A Few Lessons frovi the Past Butter Season. 731 



By groupincr the lesulis of butters of each district it is found 

 that the Western district samples show an average of 12'27, Gipps- 

 land 13(52, North-Eastern 1274, and Northern 12-23. 



Managers should endeavour to keep the percentage below 13 per 

 cent., especially when packing for export. 



Some years ago the averages were under 12 per cent. You will 

 remember at a tormer conference 1 laid considerable em|)hasis on 

 keeping the moisture contents within reasonable limits, and on that 

 occasion I suggested a range of from 10 to 12. If tlie results of your 

 deliberation teach some of you to imprison more moisture in your 

 butter than the trade requires, grocers and buyers of butter will recognise 

 that the box which will cut out 5.5|-lbs. is worth more than one which 

 cuts out at .55 lbs. only, and give a higher price accordingly. If 

 therefore, Victorian butter becomes recognised as containing 1 per 

 cent.more moisture than butter from othercountries more careful in this 

 respect, then prices will recede to I per cent, below theirs. Those in the 

 industry will then have the grim satisfaction of realising that with 

 every 100 tons of butter exported tliey go to the expense of putting 

 up, boxing, paying railway freight, and ocean freight, on an extra ton 

 without reaping any corresponding advantage. It is to be hoped in 

 the interests of the dairying industry that this matter will be properly 

 legislated for. 



Conclusions. 



Many of our good factories secured an average of 98s. per cwt. for 

 the season on the London market. This must be regarded as being 

 exceptionally good and much better than those in the trade bargained 

 for at the opening of the season. It was thought that having been oflf 

 the market for a year, and with the increased supply from other 

 countries, especially from Siberia, Victorian butter would have a 

 difficulty in securing averages over 94s. to 95s. Of course dairymen 

 and the public generally think that because the prices are lower than 

 those of the three preceding years there is something wrong. It must 

 be remembered, however, that the prices secured the three previous 

 years were phenomenal as regards butter, and if the average of last 

 year, namely 98s. be compared with ten years' average on the London 

 market before that, it will be found that there is no cause whatever for 

 alarm. 



The surprising feature in connection with the butter export trade 

 is that in our history of the business the imports to Britain have 

 multiplied 2| times and yet the prices are maintained at approxi- 

 mately the same level. Considering the adverse circumstances dealt 

 with at length by me I think all will agree that a remarkably good 

 and profitable year has been experienced, and that attention to the 

 lessons set forth will secure much better results in the future. 



