NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 280, 19 April 1911, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

BRINGING IT BEFORE THE BRITISH PUBLIC. Mr. IL Ellison, representing the National Dairy Association of New Zealand, Ltd., writes from London under date March 7, 1911, as follows: I would ask for space in your paper to just briefly refer to the want of some means of bringing before the great British public the produce of our Dominion. As far as I can see there has been no concerted or sustained effort made to obtain for our goods a grip of this market. Our mutton and lamb are possibly the best of the imported meats which reach England, yet here little is known of their merits. Here and there one finds an occasional shop selling wiiat is termed "foreign" meat, as all imported meat is termed. In some localities, and especially the poorer ones, nothing but imported meat is sold, but no reference is made to this fact, whereas the high-elass butchers go to considerable trouble by advertisements and shop notices to inform the public that nothing but English or Scotch mutton is sold, or, as it is termed, home-killed. For instance, in the upper middle classes, if imported mutton be used and this fact became known the offender would instantly lose cast, and it would be impossible to keep such knowledge within the four walls of any house, because servants change places,' and they most likely in unguarded moments may give the information to others. As a matter of fact, the average servant girl will resent the use of imported mutton or beef. I am simply mentioning this to show that even after the lapse of years from the commencement of the oversea meat trade there stin lives the prejudice against anything that is not the. product of English soil, especially as regards meat. Coming to the question of butter and cheese, much the same prejudice exists. I find that many people, once they discover that butter or meat has been brought from such a distance as New Zealand, they consider that it cannot of necessity be anything like as good as meat killed the previous day. I recollect recommending a lady friend of ours to use New Zealand butter. She expressed great surprise at being requested to use a butter over six weeks old; she thought it must of necessity lie stale. It it quite evident to me that the consuming public are totally ignorant of the means of artificial refrigeration as applied to the carriage of meat and produce; they will eat and relish tinned fruits from California and tinned meats from Chicago, but meat and butter brought here under first-class refrigerated conditions is looked upon with suspicion. At the present we are using in my home butter from the Thames Val-' ley factory, and a better butter it would , be hard to find, I regret, however, to say that here and there, one finds brands of New Zealand butter which arc not. a credit to our Dominion, and if getting into critical hands do much harm to the general reputation of the butter. I would also mention that for the last twelve months we have been using regularly New Zealand lamb or mutton, and the quality is eminently satisfactory. There is no doubt that in the tens of thousands of eating houses, hotels, restaurants and cafes imported meat is used and unknown to the consumers. You will, however, find in, many of the leading dining saloons and restaurants, printed across the menu the words. "All meats used in this establishment are guaranteed home-killed." Now, Sir, possibly T have said enough to weary you. but I feel keenly the want of some determined effort to create for our produce the name I think it deserves. T am not specially finding fault; T ha vi' lived long enough in London to fi>el the magnitude of this huge conglomeration of mankind, and the almost supreme effort that will bring a change anion!.' seven millions of people bound as they are bv the custom of generations. 1 do think, however, that some means should be devised whereby the Government of our country should make a comuieuceiueut and maintain Tight along the principle of advertising their own goods. My belief is that the football feiim which visited England some few veiirs back did more to advertise the Dominion than anything else, and this is n country where Rugby play only takes second place. Tf anyone in New Zealand has been under the impression Hint I lie Dominion's presentation of a Dreadnought was the means of briniriiut our Dominion In the front, well, all T have to say is that they are very much mistaken. Only once in the last fifteen mouths have T lieard this referred to; to make an impression we should have sent at least half-a-dozen.