A SHORT-SIGHTED POLICY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1874, 7 October 1913, Page 10

A SHORT-SIGHTED POLICY.

AUSTRALIAN MEAT & AMERICAN MARKET. It seems'extraordinary that anyone should bo short-sighted enough to venture on trying to open a new market with an inferior article. According to tho "Pastoralists' Review," confirmation has been received of tho report ,that ono of tho earlier shipments of Australian meat to San Francisco was of very inferior quality. It is a tremendous pity, for it lias done much to injure what promised to bo a profitable market. Mr. Marshall, manager for tho F. E. Booth Company, large indentora, and tho firm which is perhaps most interested in tho trade on tho American sido, speaks very bitterly on the subject.\ Ho says:—"Tho biggest black eye Australian meat importers an America have received was that occasioned through a merchant of Australia dispatching a largo shipment of meat to San Francisco totally unworthy, of the_ nanio of 'Australian meat.' There is still somo of it on the market, and every day wo hear of it-. Tho financial loss to the _ Californian handlers of the product is infinitesimal compared with the far-reaching damage to .the interests and development of the trade. • Ono of our dealers in Los Angeles was conducting three largo markets and disposing of 50,0001b. of Australian meat per steamer. Since this; faulty shipment he has cut down to a minimum of 20,0001b., and lis taking only alternate steamers. Wc aro just recovering slowly from the inferior consignment, but other firms affected are still receiving complaints. seek competition, and rather relish it, but cannot fight in tlje dark. If Australia sends us inferior moat when we havo already paid spot cash for it before it is actually loaded at Sydney, we are 'down and' out, 1 and do not know how to fight. Wo will fight in tho open m the light, but a knife-thrust in tho back in the dark cripples us."