HOW FARES OUR PRODUCE?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 850, 23 June 1910, Page 4

HOW FARES OUR PRODUCE?

IN ENCLISH MARKETS. HOME" AGENT'S FINE PAPER. The report of the Home agent of the National Dairy Association, Mr-. R. Ellison, was read at the conference. Mr. Ellison has not been long in Loudon, but his information was awaited with much 'interest.- '•' ' ' Respecting the distribution of produce, Mr. Ellison said: "I am not at all enamoured of the system at present in vogue. The bulk of our Mitterrand cheese ' after going through Tooley Street, finds its way to .the.retailers-by tho medium of the wholesale produce firms. The retail traders referred to at this end more particularly aro the large multiple shop concerns, many of which control hundreds of shops. The grocer, as understood in New Zealand, draws his supplies from tho wholesale firms hero. v There is nothing. whatever in. the contention that any firm or firms sell to retailers only: they all sell to the. wholesale trade, and Tooley Street sells to Tooley Street, either direct or by the medium of a broker. Much good can bo done at, this end, but the New Zealand factory directors . must bo looked, to if the foundation of a.satisfactory and lasting system is to bo inaugurated Blending of Butter. "It is held by many of the distributors in Great Britain that the blender is-the best customer for New Zealand butter, 'and it may, or may not, be news for our New Zealand factories that something like 35 per cent, to 40 ,per cent, of our butters find their way into the hands, of the blending establishments. It .can be taken for granted that 90 per cent, of tho unsaltcd butters are used for this purpose, although salted butter is also made use of.' In some ways our New Zealand butter suits tho blender; it imparts its characteristics to tho other . butters used' for this purpose of blending. Wo may for some time be compelled to permit matters' to continue as they aro as regards this phase of the business, but I hardly think wo are consulting our best interests by recognising it." Our Cradlng System. ■ "Whatever the .weak points of our grading system aro there .can, bo no question as to. its efficacy in bringing our butter and cheese to a uniform standard of quality. The-rc still, tc'mains room for improvement, more particularly in our cheese. This, however, will no doubt be brought about next season when more experience has been gained by some of'tiho younger generation of checso makers. While 0110 can sympathise- with a factory'manager having an occasional parcel of secondgrade cheese, still.it wero. bettor that this be graded second; than that any .smoothing of tho oath for second-grade bo indulged in. The system of leaving

second-grade produce free of a grading stamp would, in my opinion, by highly detrimental to our business. Thero is one point in our grading system which I t-liink might strengthen its usefulness and crcato a closer confidence as between factory manager and grader. Failing tho long-promised and muchdiscussed experimental dairy station, 1 think that once, at least in every throq years, our graders should spend at. lea,st three mouths in a butter or cheese factory. I venturo to think that that would not interfere with tho duties of tho grading staff, and would mutually benefit factory managers and graders." To Fight Margarine. "Tho manufacture, of margarine is, as a rule, moat scrupulously guarded, and to-day it is about as dilncult to obtain an entry into a margarino factory as it would bo to enter Tibet. Good margarine has reached a point of perfec-tion-which- makes it difficult for even an expert, to decido whether it is butter or not. Tho amount of margarine imported into England is' about 45,000 tons annually, to say nothing of tho enormous quantities which aro being manufactured in England, o-no factory alone turning out 000 tons weekly. Tho grocer sells margarine like butter, according to quality; ho is always assured of a good margin of profit, and therefore pushes tho sale. The manufacturers spend large' sums in advertising their goods, and what is the result? Butter is displaced. So. far wo can have no legitimate grievance against this new rival; but when one considers for a moment the number of prosecutions which aro weekly taking placo against vendors of. margarine who endeavour to pass -it off on tho public as butter, one may be pardoned for asking how many tons of margarine- aro sold weekly in England and represented as butter. Tho abnormally high prico of butter during the last four months has' given a fillip to the margarine trades which no end of advertising would havo accomplished, . and in order to regain part of. the lost ground butter will have to. find a lower level than if tho price had not reached such a high figure. The relief which has been asked for is simply that margarine should be sold freo of colouring substance, which, if agreed to, would .at onco afford a ready means of determining its origin, and would instantly, afford to consumers that' which at present is almost impossible— an unfailing distinction ' between butter and margarine. . I -feel .that it would not he outside the provinco of tho association to pass a resolution indicating a desire on the part of New Zealand producers that some provision should be made whereby tho colonies would not have to enduro this unfair competition. Should you deem ,this course desirable the matter, after being submitted tp our Government, would, in due course reach the High Commissioner for New. Zealand and bo represented in,.-tho right quarter."Competition of the Danes. ."The fact that Danish butter always, or nearly'always, .commands Bs. tolOs. per .cwt.. more than New Zealand is' somewhat of- a mystery to many of us in the Dominion. ' Ten shillings per cwt. means £10 per ton, or ss. for every box. Now, I proposo to point out how tho gap, in...price.which at present separates 'Danish butter from New Zealand can be lessoned. In tho first place the difference in value is not warranted by the difference in quality,''for our butters aro as good in quality, and.in some cases superior to Danish. Tho difference in valuo' is only, one of sentiment," and this being" the case thero -is every opportunity for us to. annex part, if not all, of tho difference in valuo as between Danish and New Zealand'butter. England seems to mo tho embodiment of conservatism,, as fast l'ootei and almost as difficult to 'shirt as tho Sphinx. Therefore, why should they use-New Zealand butter? ' They have had Danish, .and Danish they require. The New Zealand butter is mainly consumed in London- and the South of England; at present'wo do not get much of a hearing in the" North. Advertise! Advertise! "Now, coming back to,the difference in value between.Danish and New. Zealand'.' How are wo to obtain part of this margin? ..It is simply by advertising our butter and cheese, and-thereby forcing it under tho. notice, of. the British public. At present:-we aro exporting something like 500,000 packages of butter, and- 300,000 packages of cheese- to tho English market every year. It is only reasonable to assume that the industry. should as a whole undertake-.the advertising of their own productions;" to raise the,necessary revenuo a small .levy of, say, 3d. per box on butter and 2d. per crate .on cheese would provide a sum sufficient to make a big impression here; even • half the mentioned levy would do a lot. If this was done,"'and-'I strongly advise its adoption, I feel'the New Zealand Government would readily subsidise -any such voluntary imposition on the part of tho dairy industry. New Zealand is unknown in England. There are dreds of papers published daily in England, in Scotland, and in Ireland, and hot onco in six months is tho name of New Zealand even mentioned, and then only in a few lines. Once our butter reaches the retailer its identity is futoly lost.- In many cases the shopman who sells it knows nothing of its origin ; to him New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina arc all one; the .public do not ask for New Zealand butter; it is sold as best salt butter, or Is.. Id. or. Is. 2d. butter, and as such is referred to by tho purchasers. I feel tho .time' has come when some means of advertis-; ing should bo adopted." Moisture in Butter. "I am pleased to say that no complaint under this heading'has come under my notice this season. I.have taken a good many tests for moisturo since the beginning of tho year, and-in nb case, to my knowledge, lias the limit been exceeded; in sonic. instances the tests fell as low. as 8, 9, and 10 per cent.- I cannot quite see the necessity for this; butter showing -14: per cent, moisture brings tho samo price. ■'~' Discussion and Resolutions. Members expressed their appreciation of the article and of ;tho' work accom-' plished by the London agent since ho had taken, up his duties last December.A''vote .of thanks to him for his energy was recorded. Mr. Harkness remarked that- .the exocutivehad considered tho position m regard to margarine, and had drawn up the following resolution: — ' That, in the, .opinion of- this meeting, it is 'desirable that tho executive of the association should' make strong representations to tho Government of the Dominion to instruct the High Commissioner for New Zealand to urge on tho Imperial Government the importance of promoting legislation to protect butter from the unfair competition of margarine. The association unanimously adopted this resolution. , At tho coiifercnco this afternoon, Mr. A. Morton (Egmont Village) mentioned that, four years ago, tho association had passed a resolution asking that a Government grader should bo sent Home. When Mr. It. M'Nab was Minister for Agriculture it had been expressly determined that a member of the grading staff should go to London, and it was known then who would be the mail appointed. For reasons probably, connected ivith tho election which followed, tho project had not been carried out, and it behoved 'the association now to . mnko representations to tho present Minister for Agriculture. i The chairman (Mr. MacFarlanc) remarked that, last year, tho request had been made to the Hon. T. Macken-

zic, but no promiso had been obtained. He felt sure, however, that the association would, succeed in its representations. Mr. Morton: I havo had tho assuranco this afternoon, on the very best of authority, that, if a resolution is passed here to-day asking that a grader should ho sent. Home, it is almost absolutely certain that it will bo carried out. 1 ■ On tho motion of Mr. Morton, seconded by Mr. Gray, it was resolved: That the Government bo urged to send Homo one of tho dairying staff, to act under the instructions oT tho Dairying Commissioner and in conjunction with the London' agent of the National Dairy Association, . in regard to the examination and grading of Now Zealand dairy produco in London. tt was mentioned that, ■ although there was now a Produco Commissioner at Home, his attention was devoted principally to produce other'than that connected with the dairy industry.