DOMINION’S PRODUCE

Hokitika Guardian, 9 November 1929, Page 7

DOMINION’S PRODUCE

MARKETING CONDITIONS

NEW ZEALAND’S PRESTIGE.

A review. •of marketing conditions in England with regard to New Zealand primary products was given a “Dominion” representative by the Hon. A. D. McLeod, former Minister of Lands, on his return from abroad by the Tahiti oil. Monday. “There is little doubt in the minds of responsible men that, the Old Land is passing through a crisis in its trade and manufacturing history, the ultimate end of which is difficult to visualise,” said Mr McLeod. “The enormous burden of taxation is probably Britain’s greatest problem, and as with ourselves, notwithstanding promises to the contrary, succeeding Governments increase rather than reduce the burden. Being personally interested, I naturally gave a good deal of my spare time to seeking information regarding the receiving, distribution, and marketing of our primary produce, particularly meat. J, of course, had ample opportunities afforded me of visiting, and closely inspecting, the port of London, with its associated facilities—good, bad, and indifferent—for handling and marketing produce, and, perhaps, on the whole, saw little to criticise, and a. good deal to admire, as compared with twenty years back, when I last visited Britain,

ENVIOUS POSITION. “Tn New Zealand, one often hears statements to the effect that our produce is being retailed on a parity with British produce. To satisfy myself on this point during mv tour from, one end of Britain to the othoi, I have looked into very many scores of shops retailing Home-grown as well as overseas produce. Among consumers, as well as retailois, out hono\ only I often found placed ahead of British, produced, and in every case well ahead of other importations. The, change in public opinion toward refrigerated produce in recent years .is! very noticeable throughout Britain,with the exception, perhaps, of some of the large midland centres, but, to say that our lamb, for instance, sells on a parity with best .Home grown is; lam sure, quite incorrect. It is, however, quite true that in the retail trade our lamb takes a very high plage, and. is universally praised for its quality and the ea.se with which the various joints and cuts are disposed of in the trade at no wide disparity in price. Twenty years ago, for it to be hinted that a meat retailer sold frozen, meat, put him outside the pale with average consumers; to-day through the metropolitan area, as well as generally over the South of England, not only is our lamb being sold side by side with best Home-grown in the same shops, but the, fact is boldlv advertised. As regards this, there is little doubt but that Empire marketing efforts have created a different atmosphere, and the able manner in which those efforts have been backed up by tbe various New Zealand Boards, the High Commissioner, and his officers, is to-day the envy of other Dominions. i

“The advertising scheme, la.rg.elv ndonted hy> the Meat Board, of distributing gratis to retailers window streamers, discs and tags, notifying the fact that is or that carcase or joint, is from New Zealand, is having a splendid effect, and so long as it is seen to as at present, .that the particular carcase, cut or joint is genuine and of the best J know of. no other system of advertising likely to produce better results?

BUYING T>E\R MEAT. “Tn New Zealand, as well as in T/ondon, one also often hears it said that the great Midlands population cannot afford to buy dear meat. To me this is not easy of belief. Nowhere in England did T see better equipped, or larger retail meat shops than in several of the Midland centres, selling nothing but home-grown meats. Elsewhere in England similar shops sell in conjunction with home-grown -at. least the host New Zealand lamb, and boldly advertise the fact. A leading Bradford business man’s answer to this, when I mentioned it, was: ‘Me may ho getting radical in our politics, but wo are still conservative in what w r e eat.’ Discussing the point with a member of the New' Zealand Moat Board (Mr T. A. Duncan), then in England, 1 found that he also had been struck with the fact, and when last I saw him, ho was leaving in company, with the hoard’s London manager for the Midlands with the intention of spending some weeks inquiring inlo the position. “The present year’s fall in lamb prices has been unfortunate, as apart from the losses made, which some exporting houses can ill afford, it is all tending toward driving, buying at the producing end into fewer and fcwei hands. Many reasons were being .advanced in Smith-field as to. the cause of Ihe sudden fall in prices, hut T believe the greatest factor to he that although in Britain the earlier part of the season was good for fattening, alter midsummer the drought was sn prolonged an.’ severe that homo-grown moat was forced in with a rush. Also,, a limit the same time a good deal of New Zealand lamb began to appear in Smitlifield, wlfich obviously had been held for some time agai' st a good selling market of round about ninepenoo and over. Increased imports no doubt had an effect, but I see no reason if the field of sale can

he extended, as in the South of England, or if a, considerable permanent fall does not take place in English meat, why prime lamb should ■ fall below round about liinepeiico to producers, which, after all, is a very good and payable price to growers. HIGH PRAISE. “Although chiefly interested in the meat trade, during my wanderings in and out of many score of general •produce (retail shops, I listened to opinions upon all of our other primary exports. When asked, I seldom cr ever gave my correct country of domicile and often praised the virtues of other countries’ produce, to note the result. While I heard more than one complaint of our apples, on the whole I heard our various productions placed very high, if not in all cases at the top of ( overseas imports. When praising the produce of some other country, I often heard the high uniform grading of New Zealand produce pointed to as a great thing in its favour. Judging by the amount, of Kraft, or blended cheese, one sees in private houses, hotels and eating houses there must be a rapid growth in the sale of such in Britain. A gentleman largely interested in the business said that New Zealand cheese on account of its high butter content and freedom from taint, made it the best purchasable and it was, therefore, largely used in his trade.