Our Imports of Dairy Produce. 



23 



by Government grants in the shape of subsidies and 

 bonuses, which, however, have been discontinued since 

 1893-94. In 1895 there were 155 butter and cheese 

 factories working in the colony, and they produced nearly 

 27,000,000 lbs. of butter out of an estimated total production 

 of 35,580,000 lbs. 



The factory movement is also beginning- to spread in the 

 other Australian colonies. In Queensland, factories or 

 creameries have been established wherever milk is pro- 

 curable in any quantity, there being 50 of these establish- 

 ments in the southern part of the colony in 1894. A 

 similar development is taking place in New South Wales 

 and South Australia. In the former colony the co-operative 

 dairies are gradually being superseded by large butter 

 factories, which are supplied with cream by numerous 

 creameries. 



The export trade in butter from the last three mentioned 

 colonies is,, however, as yet, of insignificant proportions. 

 In New Zealand, whence we received 56,000 cwts. of butter 

 last year, butter factories and creameries are being esta- 

 blished in increasing numbers annually, and it is estimated 

 that there are now about 208 of these establishments in 

 operation. 



American butter has hitherto constituted a very small pro- 

 portion of our imports of this commodity, but in recent years 

 the receipts from the United States have been of increasing 

 dimensions, and in 1896 they amounted to about 142,000 

 cwts. The transatlantic traffic in dairy produce is, how- 

 ever, made up for the most part of heavy consignments of 

 cheese to the British market. Until 1891 the larger share of 

 this trade was enjoyed by the United States, but during the 

 past six years Canada has been the principal contributor. 

 The bulk of the cheese exported from the former country is 

 made in the State of New York, which has contributed about 

 79 per cent, of the exports of this product from the United 

 States during the past five years. In several years prior to 

 1886 the exports of cheese from American ports exceeded 

 one hundred million pounds, but during the past decade 

 they have steadily declined, and in the twelve months 



