THE SELLING END.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 226, 1 September 1914, Page 4

THE SELLING END.

Marketing Our Butter

Proposal for Dairymen.

The Eclling end ct the butt» r busi r.ess h s fur a l.rg time given serious concern to those who are entrust!d with the disposal uf the cu'put9 <t our dairy facto ies. In the course of his address at the annual meeting (f the New Zealand Dairy Mr Wesley Spragg, chairman of directors, had s m(.thing I) ??.v in connection wi h revising the Ntw Zealand dairy produce trad; i:i tr,gland. Mr Sprang opui.d by pointing out lhat the "dairymen of New Zetland need not leek for combination among ihe British merchants for the advantage of our New Zealand shippers. This is no reflection upon ihe British merchant. He is tie fireit embodiment of honourable business principles and practice that we touch, but he is primarily inte:-

csted in the business of his iitm or his sharel.older?. I am quite aatisiied that ar:y he 1 d which wa shall j g t Rill be the outcome of etlf-hclp. , My ulea3 \*ould i. elude a system of oversight and of a niodifiec. kind of control over t h .e su 1 e of ; ;ll Nt.w Zealand dairy pinducc. A body in New Zealat.d would require to te appointed to take charge of the whole business. This body would in

turn appoint, say, tw.> men to represent it in London; it would be an advantage if these men were dairy fpeeialists. They would certainly require to be practical, competent business mer, level headed, far lighted and above suspicion. The National Dairy Association- has ■ omc of the oiganisation required Ijr the purfose of these appointments. The new organisation which 1 am suggesting would no'. r°ceive any commissi'n, or part of commission. gratuities, allowances or anythirg of the kind, from anybody excepting from the associated companies. These companies would pay pro rata feta per ton of butter or chees? suffi.ient for all oversight cf these commodities.

"For a first year the buttev, ot cheeae, would be seat through the channel* which they would g<: through iu tho ordinary way il present conditions were continued The factory managements would select their own consignees, giving to the New Xuilaud Supervisory Coininitteo the fulle-t information as fo arrangements of all kinds made by them with the London ageuts During tha first year the London agents would be left to do their best iu the interests of their partieulai clients. They would be closely watched by tho London Committee and would be reported upon fioni time to time to the New Zealand Board. The future of the trade would then be iu their own hands and tho firm u hich did well would retain tho business with which i: had been entrusted and the business of t'.ie man who did not do well

wuuM, iu the following season, be transferred to tin one who ha 1 been successful. " Instead ot forcing tlieeo existing businesses into the position of being dangerous antagonists of a crude and costly organisation I would make them compete against each other in doing the \\o>k for New Zealand. 1 would have t ! ie plan watched and revised as circumstances suggested I should expect evolution to complete and perfect the system. I wouM not interfere between factory and agnit any more than by oversight in their joint interests, unless a transfer to other hands was desirable, and in such event the New Zealand Board would recommend that no further consignments >hould be sent to the unsuccessful agency. Upon making thi-- recommendation the Board , would give to the management of | the factory concerned information of such other agencies as could be ! recommended, with reisous for such recommendation, and also advice and ■ guidance in making selection of an • riM I agent for the following season, ihe i Board or its London representative j would be an intermediary in case of 1 differences among agents as to prices |or policies It would also give in- ! durations of values. These it would j obtain by consultation through its London committee with the various | agents representing the factories j and it would assist in sustaining prices dining the currency of the | season. Giving indications would not be fixing prices. To do that j would be to tangle up things by I interference and the essence of my plan is to utilise the present means, unembarrassed as much as possible. Finally, the unfit who is frequently ! breaking the market would be | weeded out, and automatically the business would get into fewer hands, or, tinal'y, by the process of elimination, into ono system,J which might in time come entirely under the control of the New Zealand ■ dairy people.