364 



Victorian Dairy Exports. 



droughts occur in Victoria in the regular order of things 

 and the only way to guard against the heavy loss the colony 

 as a whole thereby sustains is said to be by means of artificial 

 fodder. 



The Victorian Dairy Expert states that it is not sufficient 

 to send a good quality of butter to the British consumer, but 

 that there must also be regularity in the supply, because 

 fluctuations in the monthly exports cause large buyers in 

 England to seek elsewhere for their supplies, and foreign 

 competitors gain an advantage from which it is difficult 

 afterwards to displace them. Comment is also made upon 

 the irregularity in the arrival of the Victorian consignments 

 in England. The steamers leave Melbourne regularly once 

 a week, but instances are numerous where they have arrived 

 in London in pairs fortnightly, and when two or three boats 

 with large consignments of butter arrive in London at the 

 same time the result is disastrous for the sellers. Large 

 quantities of butter have to be kept on the agents' floors for 

 a week or ten days, deteriorating in quality more or less, 

 according to the weather ; whereas, if the arrivals were 

 weekly, there would be immediate sale and distribution 

 before the next arrival. 



The shipments of butter from Victoria to other Australian 

 colonies amounted to 1,653 tons in 1895-96, which, added to 

 the 7,733 tons exported to England and other markets, gave 

 a total of 9,386 tons. 



Each year there is reported to be an improvement in the 

 direction of greater uniformity in the quality of butter sent 

 to the depot for export. During the season 1894-95 

 nearly 20 per cent, of the butter exported did not receive the 

 Government brand. The second quality was unbranded and 

 sold on its merits, while the inferior was branded "pastry.'' 

 Of the 7,733 tons exported to England and other markets 

 beyond the colonies in 1895-96, 6,815 tons were branded 

 with the Government stamp, 912 tons were of fair quality, 

 but not good enough to be stamped, while only six tons had 

 to be branded " pastry." In the past season, 7,093 tons 

 carried the Government stamp, 800 tons were unbranded, 

 while not more than two tons had to be branded " pastry." 



