British West Coast Ports.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7923, 3 October 1904, Page 6

British West Coast Ports.

Keen Rivalry for New Zealand

Trade.

',*.." LONDON, August 19. _lhere is keen rivalry between the West Coast ports of Great Britain for the New Zealand direct trade. And nowhere is it keener than in the Bristol Channel, where. Bristol, Cardiff, and Barry .respectively is each closely watching the others.. Recently a statement found currency that when, the Delphic was. at Barry, some coal dust blew across the dock from the coal staiths on to the produce which was then being unloaded. Cardiff—and Barry is in the port of Cardiff—was at once up in arms, and a leading Welsh paper at once interviewed Mr H, Woodley, who has had large experience of the frozen i meat trade, and whose headquarters are at Cardiff. I give Mr Woodley's defence of the Welsh port. .He said:— "The success which has attended the shipment of New Zealand meat to South Wales ports has resulted in keen competition for the trade from Bristol. So long as this rivalry i. honest in its methods we in Cardiff will welcome it, but we think it is a slander upon our local, ports to" state, as has been circulated from Bristol, that the unshipping of the meat at Cardiff and Barry renders it less valuable, because of the coal deposited upon it in transit from ship's hold to stores. In the whole of my long experience of the frozen meat trade I have never had a single 'complaint from a . customer on that score, and I am convinced that the originator of this slander can never have witnessed the discharging of meat in Cardiff or Barry. It is but natural, I suppose, that competition for a growing trade like that of New Zealand meat should take place, and Bristol has lately awakened to the need of directly catering for trade, and is a national distributing centre for a big area, yet the South Wales ports, and particularly Barry, have made special arrangements for this trade, and shipments to Barry can be vastly increased and distributed wholly on this side of the Channel." Mr Woodley was next asked what were the special arrangements at B'-rry, and he replied : " The Barry people are sharp, commercial men. They recognised the importance of the trade, and they have orovided the. c facilities. A ship can dock at any state of the tide; and by means of an ingenious crane they take the carcases out of the hold in a net a hundred at a time, and actually deposit them on the floor of a cold store. There is more handling at Bristol, and no cold stores alongside. In-' deed, it is ridiculous to talk "about any coal or other dust deteriorating the meat in these circumstances, isn't it ?" As showing that Mr Woodley is qualified to speak with authority, it may be stated that his firm were the con signees of 13,750 carcases, which formed the first lot oi New Zealand meat shipped to Wales. This was about a year ago. Then he has had 7000 carcases delivered by the Delphic, 9000 by the Dorset, and in the cargo of the Suffolk discharged th:s week at Bristol he has 2350. carcases consigned, to him. As an example of quick despatch at Barry, he - cites the case of the s.s. Dorset, when between six o'clock one morning and four o'clock the next, 9000 carcases were unloaded. Mr Woodley expressed the opinion that the New Zealand trade with Wales would improve bj . leaps and bounds if the New Zealand Government would send direct shipments instead of, as now, giving preferencejto London, by sending direct there, and by a roundabout route to local ports, the voyage often taking double the length of time. He suggests that the development of the meat trade could be made simultaneously with the establishment of a big provision trade if the steamers came direct, and that instead of Danish butter holding the field in the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire markets New Zealand butter and other provisions and fruit could win their way on their own merit. Correspondence on these points is now proceeding between the import section of the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce and the Agent-General for New Zealand,' and in Mr Woodley's words, "We are hoping for good results." It is noted ia conclusion that the lamb trade of New Zealand will become a big business to the benefit of the Welsh working man, who has shown his appreciation of it, while the well-to-do classes are regular customers, bus well the New Zealand Government must grant facilities—they should give the local buyers similar advantages to those in London and leave nothing undone to further the importation "In fact," said Mr Woodley, in conclusion, "they must do as the Barry Dock Company has done—give us every chance to get the meat in the primeat possible condition, and not prejudice one market at the expense of another. I believe the New Zealand Government will do what we request. They are good buaine.s men ' down under.' "