494 



New Zealand Dairy Exports. 



have fallen off steadil}^ for the past three years, and it is largely 

 to the misfortunes of the latter that the former owes the 

 satisfactory prices obtained for its autumn make during that 

 period. Without the Australian demand New Zealand would 

 have found it difficult to dispose of its March and April 

 butter at anything like a profitable figure. The shortage from 

 Victoria also, it is stated, favourably influenced the British 

 markets, causing the colonial season to finish up more satis- 

 factorily than was at one time anticipated. 



The cheese market during the season was depressed, 

 chiefly owing to the competition of Canada and the United 

 States. New South Wales and Queensland took a consider- 

 able quantity of loaf cheese at fair prices. 



Of the butter, 78,588 cwts., in 151,052 packages, were 

 shipped to Great Britain. These exports were classified as 

 creamery (132,533 packages), dairy (5,457 packages), and 

 " milled," i.e., factory, butter (14,062 packages), and each of 

 these classes was further sub-divided into three grades. Of 

 the creamery butter almost 93 per cent, was reckoned as first 

 grade, and 7 per cent, second grade, a very small fraction 

 ranking as third grade ; but in the other classes the propor- 

 tion of first quality was much lower, amounting to only 63 

 per cent, of the dairy, and 59 per cent, of the factory butter, 

 and about one-third of the total was in either class reckoned 

 as second grade. 



The Railway Department provided regular services of 

 refrigerator cars for butter tw^o or three times a week, and these 

 are stated to have been of great advantage. All through the 

 season the butter arrived at the cool stores in a satisfactory 

 condition when forwarded by these cars, the larger portion 

 being firm and cooL The existence of a cool store and port 

 of shipment within easy distance of most of the factories in 

 the province of Taranaki— the greater portion of the butter 

 is exported from New Plymouth — is referred to as having 

 been of much service, 76,000 packages passing through the 

 Moturoa freezing works during the season. As a depot and 

 grading store for dairy produce these works are thought to 

 leave little to be desired, either for convenience, manage- 

 ment, or cleanly surroundings^ All butter was four clear 



