EMPIRE TRADE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5072, 7 January 1927, Page 2

EMPIRE TRADE.

OVER-CENTRALISATION DANGERS.

Major H. S. Cole, representative of the. London and North-Eastern Railway in Australia and New Zealand, who/arrived in Australia recently, referred in an interview to the dangers of over-centralisation in relation to the development o'f Empire trade.

“Everything,” said Major Cole, “is tending towards closer relationship between the nations o'f the Empire, especially between Australia and Gieat Britain. ‘ Largely through the activities of the Empire Marketing Board, the interchange of commerce is now on a stupendous s,cale compared with even a "few years ago, and this increase has been reflected in the. growth of passenger traffic between the two countries. It is in this-connection that the L.N.E.R. has sent me as their representative, and my mission is to hejp in the development of the swelling tourist traffic. “The L.N.E.R. serves the, whole of the, east o'f Great Britain from London to the north of Scotland, in addition to extensive central and western areas. Besides .this service the company owns 38 docks on the east coast with 38 miles of quays, the chief ports being Hull, Middlesbrough, Wes.t and East, Hartlepool, and Newcastle-on-Tyne. Most of the imports passing through these, docks come from foreign cpuni'ties, but. the company realise,? the importance of encouraging the development, of Imperial resources. ■ “The present system of marketing produce, especially butter, leaves' much to be desired. A large proportion of the goods traffic passing through London to the north of England comprises butter and fruit 'from Australia, and under the present system this produce is to a large extent losing its identity. Australian butter in many cases is mixed with other brands, and sold in the north as colonial butter at rates Id pen lb. cheaper than the Danish product. I have tasted genuine Australian butter, and in my opinion it is as good as anything on the market, but the butter sold in the north is not the genuine article. “Over-centralisation causes higher prices for the consumer and a smaller return for the producer,” added Major Cole. “Northern merchants at thq present time cannot afford to pay the same price, in London that they can pay in the north, but if the butter were sent direct to Hull or Newcastle, instead of passing through London, the saving would amount, to £3 per ton, and would result in greater popularity of the colonial product, and a greater return to the producer.”