DAIRY PRODUCE TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 12, 15 January 1903, Page 2

DAIRY PRODUCE TRADE.

INFORMATION OBTAINED BY ME BKATriK. AN INTERESTING REPORT. The following report by Mr 0. R. Beattie, Secretary of tha IN ational D »ii y Association, on information ob'aii ed by him ia relation to the dairy produce trade whilst on a recent vi<?it to G-eat Britain, was read at the fxeeutivj. meeting of the Association, £eld at Hawura on Tue-.day bvening : I "Unfortunately there no arrivals of dairy produce from Ne* Z or Australia during my visi r , and I the-«f jre had no oppor! unity of personally watching the operations of discharging, storing, and forwarding. Several firms, both in London and provincial cities, complained of the delays in getting delivery of goods from the docks, and I therefore discuss d tha ma ter with the New ZeaWnd Shipping Company and the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, bath C >mpanies giving me every facility for maLing inquiries at their office*, and at the dock*. I was thus able to see tin ' Discharging Books' giving particnl irs of the quantifies discharged diilj, and found that in m st c.ises the bu ter and cheea9 was out of the ships' holds and sorted in the sh ds within three workirg days of the arrival. The longest time taken for completing discharge Ist season, was ten day.', and iu that instance tho delay was owing to th« fact th it the buiter loaded in the S uih Island and a proportion of that loaded in Wellington was in tha ldWu-r holds, and blocked and covered in with meat, which had to b) all dischtrged before the but'er could be touched.

Representations, in this instance, were made by the Company's London office to their offices, with a view to preventing such stowage in future, and I must s'ato that evory effort is mada by 'h i Shipping Companies to insure prop'rstowago in New Zealand and prompt discharge in London, it being obvious that it is the ship's in e est to eompVe discharge as soon as p >ssibl . I compared th se results with t v e work as carried out by the Peninsu'ar and Oriental Company's boats fr;m Australia, for the reason that merchants inTool«y-street united in sta'ing that Australian butter was received in

cold st'ra at Cotton's Wharf, Tooleystreet, within 36 hours of a ship's arrival in deck; and delivery completed in about four dtys. Tnis insured prompt to buyers, gave goceral sa'.isfaction, aod tended towards b-.tter prices being obtained for

Australian than New Zealand butter*, I found that the Australian boats discharged no quicker than tha New Zetland, but arrangements had been made for the Australian butter to be discharged over the side into lighters which at once proceed to Cotton's Wharf, where the butter is received straight into cald stoie and sorted. The New Zealand butter, on the other hand is discharged into the dock she), an ordinary iron one, aud there sorted, being removed at the converiienca of ,tha various carriers or railway c m'panies, or in lighters to various river side cold stores. This deck shed receives the general cargo out of thd ship and unless the butter and cheesa is promptly remove!, it stands a chance of being blocked by various other go:>ds. This shed is also used by soma as a distributing stora. Baaring in mind the great care that is taken of our butter in New Zealand, the system in London can only be d< scribed as unsatisfactory and ths rem dy for thia state of things seems to be with the merchants who receive our goods. I am inclined to think that if propor supervision wera exercised over the cariiors or railway cimpaoies by the mm chants, much of the that now takes place before thi produce reaches their hands, would be avoided. The dock company do?s not handle or control any produce except that which is stored by them, by request of consignees.

Bo' h bu'teraod cheese are frequently out of the ships, bo I am informed, before tho consignees are ready to take [delivery. Tho bulk of t,he p-oduce is removed from the shed wihin sfven or eight days after landing, bu>; a p>rtion sometimes remains at the dock* for two op three weeks The natural question arises, Why should not New Z-aland butter ba handled in tho same ( way as Australian ? Ona reason givsn is, that consignees on the Middlesex side of thi Tham 'S object to their goods g iog to the stores on the othsr side, at Tooley-street for icabacc 1 , preferring to get delivery from the dockin their own vans, thus saving extra charges and de'ay. This difficulty was overcome in the case of Australian produce ; and when our consignees give the matter proper attention, os in all probability they will soon do, somn satisfactory arrangements will doubtless be Arrived at.

The New Zealand Shipping Company hive adopted the ' Endless Lift' arrangement for discharging dairy produce, which they claim proves more expeditious, involves less handling and saves breakages. With this arrangement 1500 boxes an hour can be discharged.

The Shaw Savill and Albion Company use sole boards holding 36 b <x s and discharge at the rate of 903 pr hour. No delay in either case is causad by wet wait her as awnings are rigged up over the holds. The bulk of the but'er package ar. ivi s in grod order, but wh<-re lighter timber than 5-Bth inch is used, a considerable number of box»s get broken. Our white pine is considered rather brittle woed, it is therefore not advisable to use lighter timber than 5-Bth inch. I

The cheese cases are not so satisfactory, a large proportion getting broken ; the battens being generally too fragile. This remark applies more particularly to the cases from the South fsland. A recommsnd-ition was made that tha butter boxes should be wired in a a'milar manner to the cheese cases. I do not, however, cjcsider this wou'd be feasible or pleasing to the purchaser. Many tf the butter boxes from Canada or United States do no' have the lids nailed on, but merely fastened on by some wire catches, which, on being turned by the fingers, release the whole lid. I do not, however, recommend this practice to Now Zealand factories as our butter has to ba carried so much further and suffers many handlings. At several scores visited complaints were made that the New Zealand box was difficult to optr, being too s )cur.)ly nailed down. I found that thesi who complained were accustomed to usi a small chis 1 and hammer to open tho boxes with, with the resu't thai the lids frequently split and broke. I draw attention to the broad bladed chis n l in use iu our grading rooms, and with whLh tho box s are opineJ quickly and without breakage. The importance of keeping brands very plain and free from uuneoewary

lettering should always be borne in mind, as the plainer the br.tnd the quicker the sorting. Now Z aa'nd butter pack iges, however, arrive .in better condition than packag-s from ra s'. other eountres, and as merchants Rta'ed,'New Zealand sets an example at to how butter shoul ibe shipped.' The oblo>g box is |r< c >gnised as distinctly New Zealand, I and as the shaps also lends its If to good stowage on the ships, thf-ra seems no reason for altering tbe shape I The quality of both butt r aod che6Bo gives general sa'isfictior, and the various brands of both I fou.id well known wherever I visited. Numerous brands v>ore spoken of in high terms. Siaae of the statements mide and opinions express id in dfferent places will be of interest.

In Bristol it was stated that New Z aland butter is firmer and of closer tex'ure than Canadian, and that the January and February shipments showed the best colou". It was considered that colour should h*ve more attention in the grading, that in, paints should be devoted" t) colour. New Zealand bu'ter arrived at Oar•diff, Wales, in very go .d coatition. It was 6uggestel there thit the pa age of tah in butter should be marked on the boxes, as different mtrkets require different degrees of sal'nses. Our butter at this place is considered better quality than Irish. Our chees? do"8 not command a gocd sale in South Walee, as Canadian can be landed thera and sold more cheaply. Ia Glasgow our cheese is spoken of as being generally very good, somi brands being refer red to as paitioultrly good. There was no'.hing to complain about as to qualiy, For this marke' the make of Dublop choeae is rccom , mended. This chceso is of a white and silky body, more of the appearance of Gruyere than Oheddar, of weight, the same diameter as. our large cheese, but only tvo thirds of the depth. This description of cheese commands better prices every season than our Cheddars. List season they fe'ehed up to 62s right throughout. New Zetland butter here ia spoken of as being too highly coloured. Australian bu<t«r is preferred. ' A complaint made elsewhere that some of tbe Sou'h Island cheese ' had a sheepy flavor. ! Yery few remaiks were met with as I to "fishiaess," and there is reason <o hope that each season will see less of | this taint in New Ze<lind butter. | S me opinions were voic d as to'he | cause of " fishiness " as being due to I corrosion of the separator bowl—or caused by using salt that bag been I damped. Oue dealer wish dto have | the experiment tried of sending him a | small p tckage of butter in which some steel tilings have been placid. In i London I heard it stitfd that the Canadians consider "fi hiness" to be Ciused by skim-milk being carried ia the cans use) for the whole milk. Whatever the cause may be, it is sa' iifac'ory to know that New Z alind butter during last seisin was generally clear f.om this taint. Some expsriments that have be in madj seem to prove that " fishy " butter kept in crdd sto'e for a few weuks loaea the flavor

I uia!e particuhr inquiries as tj tbo correctness of our n-t weight*, and I heard o p a line of 17*2 cases of cheesi from a North Island factory, showing a shortage of 7641bs It was c-n----s'd-rei that t is line had beet) exposed to the weather a 1: some stage of the journey. The same firm drew my attention t j auothrr fac'ory which was allowing to > much for shrinkage. Bat the general testimony was to the eff ct that dealers were mainly satisfied with our weights in butter, and that there were only a few ii s'anc s cf serious short; weigh*; in cheese. But it is as well t> bn;r in micd, that when markets are good no one cares to complain. It is when mirkets are falling that everyone looks for faults. A point for factories to bevr in mini is cevor to use inferior parchment paper for box lining. Where poor quality pap r is used, tho butter shows up black and discoloured. Sevenl opportunities presented of inspecting the vnious butte s and chsese imported into Great Britain from Europe, Siberia, Argentine, Canada, etc. The impori of Siberian butter is increasing enormously, and I was informed that as m»ny as 60,000 2cwt kegs were landed in one week in 1902. The make in Siberia ceises from November to February, but larg • storage accommodation is provided at Riga, on the Bilti<', the port of shipment', whence supplies will be sent to j London throughout the year withou-j cessation. Owing to the introduction of Danish instructors and m ikers it Sibtrio, and to the excellent facilities for transport provided by the Russian Government, tho quality of Siberian butter is continually imp oving, although there is a marked difference in favour of the New Zeal ind article. A difference which it is to be hoped will always be maintained. Siberiin butter is placed on the marke's at from 14s to 16s per cwt. less than New Zealaud, and, as very Urge quantities are now st>rede'.ch year for autumn or early winter supply in EngUnd, the conse quence is that value* for Australian and New Zealand produce must suffer somewnat at tha* period, soon, however, as the stored supplies are ex hausteij, the prices for Australasian goo is will i ise, thus reversing what wai the established oider of thiogs for several ye irs.

Tnis Siberian but'er supplies the Is per lb, trade, leaving a lirg>r percentage of profit to all codc rned than cjuld be looked far in any other class of imported bu'.ter; and, cons qmntly, th-' lower of colonial butter will probably suffer, Ido not, however, consider that the higher grade butters will be Affected by Sibprhn, Our first grade buVer will probably meet with more s rious competition from the Argentine, This country being well exploited by English capital is increasing her export of butter ar.nually, the quality of which is equal to the New ZiA ni article. At pre- ! sent, howevar, the latter mentioned butter is established in markets, and is pushing its way into oilier markets as yet untouched by ths A'gentine. Iq ' he West of England and Wales, where icoosiderabh quantities of Argentine Ibut'er are distiibuted from the ports of (Jadiff, Br stol, and Liverpool, there ii reason to fear that the prines for New Zealaud butter wil be affected.

The market for cheip butter is well citered for, and a butter which promises to receive c insi ier tble attention is the American process butter, wiiich giv. s satisfaction to buyers, Anothe;'descrip'i >u of bu'tor which is woitliy of notice is tha silk blended •trtiilo mide a sps ciality of tiy a w-,11 advertised fitrn. In th) preparuion of this article I believecmsidsrablequalities of New Zealinl butter are used, our butter wolectad on acciant of its dryness and Ugh percentage of buttar fat. lam informed by persjus who have onaumad milk blauded butter thit it is very sweet and palaUbl#

and is preferred by many to tIM genuine article. If a section of tiM London publio like milk mixed with their butter there it no reison why they should not hive it, provided they know what th*y axe buying. With reference to th* distribution of our produce it is somewhat unfortunate that we ara compiled to ship everything <o London, especially so u the arrangements for storing and hand* li.-g are so defective. Id theee respec's the port of London is muoh behiud some o hsr British ports; bat the interests involved in the management f tbe port are so huge and unweildly hut al'erations or improvements IMB very difficult to achieve. There ia no /< question, however, that if London desirea to regain its supremacy as • pli t, a great effort must, and preWMy will be, made by the Corporations in* teieated.

But apart from this consideration it would be in tho interests of producers if direct shipment could bo made to oth<r ports, suob as Liverpool or Man* and Glasgow, If this oould bo achieved muoh delay and eonsidemblo expense and damage to goods would bo av nded.

It must be borne in mind, however, that the capacity of such citiei mentio ed it limited and that a comparatively smill excess in supply would d.'precia*e values; whereas in London the capacity for absorption is praotioally 1 mitless. An important point, which I do not think can bo too s'rmgly emphasised, is that factorial would be consulting their be*t interests by supplying their goods to Great B ittin through the sime channels, year by y-tar. By adopting th : s oourse the retiiters and consumers become acquainted with the special brand, and where it has given sa'isfaction, want it season after season, even being prepared to give a b:tter price than they would for an equally g' od tut unknown biacd, and the merobant when ho knows he nil) receive a continuity of supp'y of a obtain brand, naturally lays himself out to work up a oonneo'i on for it. Some instances came under my notice which exemplified the unwisdom of factories changing their business connection*, without« ooutM having sound reason for doing so. An opinion generally expressed ia the d flerent centres visited was that there would be a good market for fioztn port. In Glasgow a well-known firm even went so far as to say that there was a splendid openiog in that city. But the came people suggest that trial shipments should be m»d% carrying the poik at different temperatures to determine whether chilled or f oz-n pork turns out in beat condition.

For bacon the mild cure is most .is favour, and large quantities of baoonera, jus l '' killed and dressed, an sent from D nmark to England. On arrival thsy are cured, and in consumption within a fortnight of killing. Pigs cam*id from New Zealand at a temperature to ba determined by •*> periraent, should therefore be suitable for either pork or bicon, acoording to breed and weight. It is possible that the freez'ng of pig* mty cause discolouration ef > he mi-at.

, Ihj ques ion of fire insuranoa on factory bui'dings and plant also ra- , ceivei my attention. Id the minu'ee of the last annual 1 meeting I notice that a resolution waa [ pasted recommending the appointment , in Lmdon of a dairy product grader . having coloiial experience. This waa , a matter which I discussed with Mr . Cameron, the produce commissioner in ; London, and the conolnsion we came to , was. that under cxis ing conditions of , consigning, and of selling f.o.b. New i Zealand, such pr posed grading would i not be possible. The butter for instatic3 would have to be examined in a fr< zen condition ae it went into til* | shed, and frozm butter cannot b* graded. Th) consignees and ownara would mo it certainly object to their ; go ds being interfered with at tba . London end. Further, as thar* might , b i from 30,000 to 40,000 boxes bnog discharged from a ship at, say, tba rata ' of 1000 per hour, the tusk of grading such a quantity, even if otbercoadit;ons allowed, wjuld be quite impossible. One possible way cf grading but'er, though on a Fmall and aoma* what unsatisfactory sca'e, would be far a box of each factory's shipment to ba consigned by each steamer to a New Z jalmd Government official by whom it could be placel in couvenient storage hawed, graded, and sold hy him on account of factories. To o <rry out grading in L~>ndoa on a proper basi', the present system of dealing with the proittoe would have to be altered, and instead of consigning or selling to London merchants from New Zealand, the whole shipment would requir* to bo consigned to some person in London who woul 1 act for all New Zealand factories, taking delivery, and placing the produce in some central cold store, where grading could bo carried oat aa it is in New Z aland. This repreeenta'ive wonld disposi of the goods to merchants, dealers, or retailers. In short the transactions at present taking place in New Zealand between individual factories end the morohants would b i conducted in London instead by one person, acting for the fsoteriss., I visited thi Dairy Exhibition at tbe Agricultural Hall, London, and noted with regret that no New Zealand butter appeared for competition. A fine display of Australian butter was made. I consider it would ba very advieible for New buttar to compete with oth- r colonial butters at this exhibition. A fiae display of colonhl produce was made by the firm of Aplin and Company, fr m Somersetshire, and secured first prizes, and it waß gratifying to find amongst their display two boxes of buttar from a Taranaki factory, which, after being stored in London for several proved on examination to be of excellent quality, and showing little, if any, signs of deterioration."