TRADE WITH BRAZIL

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 93, 14 January 1935, Page 11

TRADE WITH BRAZIL

Great Possibilities For New Zealand BUTTER & MEAT EXPORTS Dominion Special Service. Auckland, January 12. There are great possibilities of New Zealand doing an extensive trade with Brazil, according to Mr. C. G. T. Clarke, a New Zealander, who has been stationed in the South American State for the past 11 years, and who is visiting the Dominion on leave. He is attached to the Sao Paulo Electric Company. Meat generally in Brazil, said Mr. Clarke, was very poor, aud mutton was practically unprocurable. What little mutton there was was not very palatable. Generally one received goat meat when mutton was ordered. Butter, too, was inferior, and what was termed first-class was over 3/- a lb. Really good meat and butter was very scarce and expensive. New Zealanders would not look at the average quality butter and meat offered. The climate in Brazil was instrumental in affecting the quality of meat and butter. “There is no doubt that there are great possibilities for New Zealand to open up trade with Brazil,” he said. Mr. Clarke mentioned that the port of Santos, which was 50 miles from Sao Paulo, would be an excellent distributing centre for overseas cargoes. Fifty years ago Santos was full of yellow fever. To-day it was a healthy modern city with every shipping facility at its, docks. Sao Paulo was a very modern city with buildings 25 to 30 stories high. It was 2000 feet above sea level, ,and while it was hot by day, the evenings were pleasantly cool. The industrial centre of Brazil, Sao Paulo had more textile factories than anywhere else. The country had produced an enormous amount of cotton during the past two years. It was also the coffee centre of the world. Brazil controlled about 95 per cent, of the world's coffee production, and the greater proportion of the output came from the State of Sao Paulo. The production of coffee was Brazil's greatest industry. Whatever coffee was used in New Zealand, it was not comparable with that produced in Brazil. The potential wealth of Brazil was enormous, but the Portuguese, who largely inhabited the country, were not great developers. So far the country had been developed on foreign capital. The visit of Sir Otto Niemeyer, financial adviser to the Bank of England, two or three years ago, did a great deal to assist the country. He drew up a programme for - the authorities to follow. Under the present regime the country was in a much sounder position.