N.Z. BUTTER

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1931, Page 5

N.Z. BUTTER

.SEQUELS TO BROADCAST TALK. LONDON, November 27. Last week Air H. E. Davis, London, manager of the New Zealand Dair\ Produce Board, delivered one of the Empire Marketing Board’s broadcast talks from the London studio. He explained to his unseen listeners what the Dominion was doing with regard to the production of butter and cheese. As it was a morning talk, Air Davis was rather anxious to get some idea of the magnitude of his audience, if any, and whether his listeners had shown an intelligent interest in what he had said. At the end ol tlie talk lie invited the people to apply to the office of the board for the pamphlet “The. Empire Dairy Farm.”

rsince then several hundred letters have been received. Of these, 400 are applications for the pamphlet, without comment. Some hundreds, however contain interesting remarks. The letters have been received from people as wide apart as Edinburgh and Plymouth. .Many of the writers comment on tlie variation of prices, and wonder if, when they ask for New Zealand butter, they actually get it. From the North of England come many letters from people who say that they would like to buy New Zealand butter, but the retailers in their locality do not s.oc’t it. Others, again, mention brands of butter they buy as New Zealand, but which are definitely known as blendid.

From tlie letters received the conclusion. may he drawn that the public are quite ready to huv New Zealand butter iff they know they are getting it when they ask lor it. Secondly, they are anxious to have it it they can line! it in the shops. The publicity work to he done then is not so much among the consumers as among the retailers. It' the retailers stock New Zealand butter and give it a name the public will readily demand it. jhe publicity campaigns which are constantly being carried on bv the board are therefore proved to be on the right lines. The board has in stock large supplies of window display material arid handsome price carets. An advertisement appears each week m the Grocer, inviting retailers to apply for these, and each week there are hundreds of applications. in the North of England, however, the prejudice of the retailers for Danish butter is a real obstacle, and it is necessary for a held officer of the hoard to he constantly at work. Needless to say, if and when si branding order is obtained and New Zealand butter has by law to be marked as such, the demand for our produce should increase by leaps and bounds.