EMPIRE MARKETING BOARD

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1928, Page 8

EMPIRE MARKETING BOARD

EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH WORK.

LONDON, September 27. Air L. S. Amery was to have addressed a> mass meeting of grocers aL the International Grocers’ Exhibition but lie was call away to a Cabinet meeting at the last moment. Sir William Crawford, C.H.E., a prominent member of the Empire Marketing Board, filled the vacancy and gave an interesting address on the work of the board. They were trydng to develop Empire produce, lie, said, which would lieat anything in the world. As an example of what could he done by scientific research lie instanced the case of the American prairie wheat. At one time it was almost impossible to got crops from the prairies owing to early frost. The scientists produced wheat which ripened seven'days earlier and so escaped the frost. To-day the wheat which came from the prairies was greater in its annual value than all the "■old produced in the- world during the same period. A ID per cent tax on all the produce oi the world was levied by insects. They would laspending their time and resources on reducing the tax made by insects. Weeds levied another tax. They must work in the background preparing their remedies before they could come into tli" fon--/-round.

They were apt to think of the Emoire as overseas. They forgot that the Empire was at their own door. They were part of it. hi 192-1 Great Britain purchased from the Empire £38(3, 000,(XX) worth of goods. I.n 1927 they purchased £420.000,000 worth of goods —aii increase of 9 per cent, in three years. Tin's was partly due to the British Empire Exhibition, but tinwork had been continued bv the Empire Marketing Board. During the same years the increase of goods which the Empire took from Great Britain represented an increase of 5 per cent. They lmd got to make each other busy by a greater and greater exchange of produce.

“It is the grocer and his interest” said Sir William, “that we want to catch and to hold. Wo want to know in what wav we can help them in the success of this Empire work. The big stores are making splendid exhibition-' of Empire produce. They are doing this to increase their T '-n(lts. They are doing it- beta us*- D ‘ good for trade. Customers more and more are asking for Empire produce and it b good Msiness to push the Empire produce.”

ANIMAL POSTERS. Sir William referred to a- series of new posters which a,re 'being distributed to all retail grocers. He mentioned also that 17,000 schools in Great Britain were taking them. The series show; the animals or birds emblematical of various parts of the Empire. There is the British lion. Beneath the .picture- is such an inscription as “Buy Home-produced Cheese.” Beneath the South African springbok is such an inscription as “Buy So-utli African Oranges.” Then there are the wolfhound of the Irish Free State, the kangaroo of Australia, the elephant of India, and the kiwi of New Zealand. Beneath the kiwi is snub air inscription “Buy New Zealand Honey.” The prints are excellently coloured and they are calculated to fix Liu- animal emblems of the various countries in the minds ol both old and young. Mr G. M. T).vkes> (a member of the {board) explained what was being done in the direction of market surveys. By these investigations throughout the whole of Great- Britain the board is able to arrive at the- peculiarities of. customers in various districts, and the result of seasons and weather noon the demand for various articles. The object of the investigation is to supply the producers with information which will guide- them in the preparation of their produce.

A NEW ZEALANDER PROTESTS.

Interesting discussion followed. One member of the meeting asked whether the idominions were being educated to buy British goods, and doubted whether they were adequately reciprocating. In answer to this, Air G. H. Beale, of Auckland, said that Now Zealand and Australia thoroughly recognised the good work the Marketing Board was doing. New Zealand purchased more British goods per head of population than any other country in the world. As for Empire products, the selling houses were pushing them for all they were worth. New Zealand and Australia were doing their! utmost in this direction because they recognised that the more they bought from Britain the more Britain could buy from them. The Empire Marketing Board was doing a wonderful work, and if the retailers of New Zealand could do anything to help they would. They admired the hoard for what it was doing in this country. Among the suTvects was the education of the retail salesman. It was recognised Me greatest good would come from the counter hand having a thorough knowledge of the various parts of the Empire and of the produce derived from those parts.