FINANCE AND COMMERCE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20496, 15 March 1932, Page 10

FINANCE AND COMMERCE.

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE. LIVERPOOL CAMPAIGN. (»OM OU» oVil COJtRISIPOHDEHT.) LONDON, February 2. A vigorous campaign for the sale of New Zealand produce is being centred in the Dominion's occupancy of the I'knpire Marketing Board's shop at Liverpool. The High Commissioner took over the shop on January 25th lor a fortnight. Unfortunately, owing to the reduced funds now available to" the Empire Marketing Board, a good deal of the expense in fitting up the shop and making a. suitable display had on this occasion to be borne by the Vew Zealand Produce Boards. lne organisation of the campaign was in the hands of the Government, lublicitj Some time beforehand the whole ot the Mersey district was canvassed by the outdoor representatives of the New Zealand Meat, Dairy, and Htoey Boards, and circulars were posted informing traders and others of tlie event; about 3000 invitations were also sent out to leading people to visit the .shop. A good deal of Press publicity was also obtained, backed up by special advertisements. The result was that when the shop opened and the Lord Mayor ana Mayoress of Liverpool attended to receive a presentation of New Zealand produce, the premises were crowded, and a larae number of people gathered outside. The High Commissioner was unable to be present owing to his pending departure for the Disarm anient Conference at Geneva, but Mr K «• Forsvth, London manager of the i\ew Zealand Meat Board, who was accompanied bv Mr J. L. Brown, of the New Zealand Fruit Board, was present Mr Forsyth, who is also New Zealand s representative on the Empire Marketing Board, deputised for the High Commissioner and made the presentation to the Lord Mayor. Best In the World. In making the presentation Mr I' orsv til expressed to the Lord Mayor the appreciation of New Zealand of his official "blessing" of the New Zealand display. Liverpool. he said, was rapidly increasing her trade wlth Zealand. Last year, for instance, there had been a fifty per cent, in. ■ the New Zealand produce sent theie bv direct shipment. This wassatisfac; tory to both Liverpool and New Zealand. Liverpool got the shipping and the extra dues and employment at its wharves, and New Zealand the trade. The point was that there wa* scope for very much.more trade, and tlw pr sent effort was to bring about that IT, The New Zealand;produce was literally "the best in the world." The Dor minion's great trade with England «i lamb, butter, cheese, and honey had been built up on quality. -Of. these commodities, at New - Zealand was -Bsitain's greatest - supplier. The same quality characterised her apples, which came in April and remained-until September. It was more like English produce than any other —just as the Xew Zealariders prided themselves upon . being 99 per cent. British.. At present the prices of the produce were lower than pre-war days. Housewives, therefore, could get the very best at the cheapest price. Why buy < foreign and often pay .more for it? It - was the foreign goods New Zealand to supplant,, not the English. By buying New Zealand lamb and butter, they got ■ not only, the best, t>ut the .money they spent remained in the family, for Now Zealand spent almost all the money she received in British manufactures. New ' Zealanders were the .highest per capita purchasers in the world of British ■ goods. Samples were being sold in the •shop to enable housewives to test its quality. If they liked it they should ask iii the shops" for :it.. :They - could accept his . statement that British medical authorities—he could'' quote ' chapter, and verse—had declared it the best produce available fori health'giving or food-value quality, the reason boing that the cows and sheep fed the year-round on grass bathed in sunshine. In accepting the gift,.the Lord Mayor made a very happy tittle speech, stating how much he realised the'advantage of keeping the mouey in the family. He aft instance of a father of two sons who found that his boys were • • laying the odds,'' and when jfhey confessed to him that they lost money on ■ the average he constituted Himself their "bookie" to keep the moyy'in the family! So far the results of the shop have been excellent. Samples of butter, cheese, and honey have been selling readily, and many of the grocers' and butchers' shops in Liverpool,' and in . the suburban areas,-are displaying New Zealand advertising material. A very large number of trade enquiries have been received from retailers, and also from wholesalers.,,; A special page supplement was issued by the Liverpool ''Evening Express," devoted, entirely to tlfe New. Zealand display. In this the Produce Boards advertised, and the High Commissioner gave a special interview to the paper, in which ,he made, an appeal to housewives, to. purchase New Zealand butter, cheese, lamb, honey, etc., pointing out ■ that at ..present its price is below prewar. days. .This has been followed up with a continuous supply of editorial matter, which has been readily published by the Liverpool papers.; It ,is noteworthy that in the display in the shop the tourist attractions of New Zealand have Hot been overlooked. They form an excellent , background to the 'produce, and already ■ have engen- . dered a number of tourist enquiries. FLOUR QUALITY. AUSTRALIAN Vi NEW ZEALAND. An . unsolicited, testimony to the quality of New Zealand flour has been received by a- local milling 'firm from, the North Island. The writer states that one of the largest bakery businesses on the East. Coast, 'which he visited early this month, had been using -a mix of Australian and New Zealand flour,-and then for three days, f used Australian flour "on its own." Asked as to their, opinion of the comparative quality,. the proprie tors in no half-hearted measures expressed the opinion that, whether rnixod or .straignt, the Australian was" not one whit superior to the good New" . Zealand brands they usedin fact,-; .they remarkad that the crust was not" so good as when New Zealand flour "iilone wfis used, and thev also found . that with the Australian alone the. dough had to be taken at' the exact moment- it was . ready, otherwise it ■ would fall : away very rapidly, and not v'hanjs on'.' as the New Zealand will do. Their orders in future will be for' New Zealand flours alone, as long as : present and- recent quality is maintained. , 'I

USE OF MACARONI. LOCAL MANUFACTURE PROPOSED. ASSISTING DISABLED MEN. The establishment of a mae&roni fac-tory-as a means of providing employment for disabled soldieras >Ss; af subject which is occupying the attention of the Canterbury Disabled Soldiers' .Civil Reestablishment Committee, and at,yesterday's meeting of that body , a report concerning the proposal was, submitted by the Vocational Officer (Mr W. E. Leadley). Mr Leadley stated that he'had made certain enquiries regarding the, matter and would like the committee to decide whether or not lie should make furthei investigations into it. As the matter had been before the Rehabilitation Commission when it sat in various centres of the Dominion some time ago, he had written to tho Commissioner of Pensions (Mr A. 11. Boyes) for information and had received the following reply: — "Tho only recorded reference to any proposal relating to the manufacture of macaroni in connexion with the Rehabilitation Commission is in the , evidence of"s;tr ,D. Coiquhouu, advisory sc-: countant to.'the"Department of Indus, ivies and Commerce, as ■ " 'if .a Central Board were .established the question o,f setting up men .in. new industries. w,ould need to.be of a ter not rqqjiiring .a. large amount o$ capital. , A number of these, small in-; dustries' selected' with care .co'uld in the aggrcgato employ quite a 'number ot; men. • "'A Central Board could enlist the assistance of the Scientific and Industrial Research, Department,, arid tlio >Vheat 'Research- Institute in'ChTist4 churcfo throiigh its cheniist, Mr -Werftj could supply information relative-to the most suitable wheats for the inanufac--ture of macaroni: The. Department •of Industries and Commerce; •' could' also assist-'" '. ' ■. Imports of' Macaroni, etc. Further .information was i received from Mr Colquhoun, who had written stating that the quantity of macaroni and vermicelli imported into the Dominion during the following years was as followsYear. - Quantitv. Value. lb, £ 1928 .716,154 14.236 : 1929 V.. 710,949 12,875 1930 ' : . ..676,707 11,897 ■ The Customs', duty'was' as.follows: —, British preferential,, frde except for primage 3 p6r cent.,* general 25 per cent., Australian reciprocal tariff 30 per cent. The letter added that the industry would iiot be a .large one, but no doubt if developed, a number of returned men could be employed thereby. Mr Colquhoun suggested that regarding methods of manufacture, Mr H. E. West, of the Wheat Research Institute, should be interviewed. - ; Subsequently; etfhtiiMedv Mr'Lteedleyj he; had' got. into- touch*, witly -Ml*. ."West; who stated that the-, manufacture,.Oii foodstuffs could: not ibe carried put with CstViteTl>tete trWiph was.Win-j cipally a breadovjipat. mo»t suitable for the - purpose /Was r '%rovm in Canada, but. there was no reason why •it 'should npt .'grow-in- Canterbury if imported.- : '.i - 1 i It did not. appear that sueh an * industry,. if would provide employment for mapy disablejJ, men, said Mr Leadiey. Even if the whole of the ' trade, - of; the. Dominion was obtained ■ ,hfc «•- was afraid-- that a ; good deal f of": capital /would _be required for the establishment- of a factory and the provision of < the necessary- equipment.; r■* Old". Flour Mills. ; Mr a'. Pariitt .said 'that the committee might be a,ble to ascertain if it: were possible 'to make use of old flour-mills for''the purposes of ui&nufapture. j Mr teadley. said" that a mill used in Christchurch for such 'malaufacF ture," and; he iunderstood that 'the plant 'Was.'still here..; ■ ■ : • ■.. .-• > 'fCould,:we npt get returned soldiers to grow: .wheat if we imported it from Canada?" asked Mr Pariitt. "It. could be grown On contract,''-said Mr -Leadley.' . v • tThe chairman (Mr E.E, Willcox) I We could: make; more' enquiries, l but it is diflScult to; get'money for any scheme ( to-dajr.' ' , ' •" , ! It- was decided to request Mr, West to supply' mqrc information concerning the proposal., ' < EXPORT OF FRUIT. A RECORD ANTICIPATED. [THE PRBfIS Special Service.] DUNEDIN, March 14. As part of his personal investigations prior to leaving as the Fruit Board's representative in London, Mr H. Turner has just finished a comprehensive tour of the fruit-growing areas in Canter, bury, Marlborough, and Nelson, Mr Turner says that Canterbury will have a very small quantity of apples and pears for export this season, drought being the damaging agent. Otago also will have to be content with sending away,perhaps about 20,000 cases, whereas but for the October- frost its total would probably have reached -220,000. Mkrlborbugh arid Nelson orchards show great promise. . The indications-in Nelson are the best for both quantity and quality that he has ever seen. Nelson itself will, produce for export close on a.million cases.. The prospects are that the total export for the Dominion wiir exceed list year's record figures by' possibly a quarter of a million cases, the quantity in sight being approximately 1,600,000 cases.

This increase of " quantity, , together with: the fai;t that, the jßeason is two or three weeks earlier than last year, is causing the ; .axid the shipping - trans- . port can 'njfr shipping companies are doing their best .to cope with the difficulty. Their job is the harder because of the heavy increase in meat export. A number of steamers are being.brought out in ballast. This means that freight is earned only one way. ,