DOMINION’S PRODUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1921, Page 8

DOMINION’S PRODUCE.

BUTTER, WOOL AND MEAT. POSITION IN BRITAIN. SIR T. MACKENZIE’S VIEWS. After a year’s stay in England, Sir Thomas Mackenzie, late High Commissioner for New Zealand in London, returned by the Remuera on Saturday. The position of the Dominion’s produce was discussed by him in the course of an interview. “I regard butter as perfectly safe,” said Sir Thomas. “Great Britain’s supply is far below the normal quantity, and for that reason prices will keep up.” Asked how the shortage came about, he said that Denmark was sending to England only one-fifth or one-sixth of the quantity of pre-war years. She used to send 80,000 tons annually to Great Britain, but, according to recent statistics, her total manufacture was now between 36.000 and 37,000 tons. It was probable that during the war Denmark sold a large proportion of her cattle, and perhaps did not rear sufficient calves to maintain the herds. Russia was no longer in the market, and Canada was not sending anything like the amonne of butter to Britain that she formerly sent. “No butter used in Great Britain, .either imported or manufactured there, : comes up to ours in quality,” he. added. ' “But if you ask' for a pound of New Zealand butter in a shop you cannot get it. Some of it is used for blending with other makes, or for mixing with margarine, and some of it goes to Devonshire, whence it returns as ‘best Devonshire.’ An arrangement, however, has been made 'by the butter companies here with the Wholesale Co-oper-ative, under which our butter is to be sold under its own designation.” FACTORS IN WOOL SITUATION. Discussing the wool position. Sir Thomas expressed' grave doubts as to the market so long as the surplus of requisitioned wool was so high. He explained that in the past Germany bought an enormous quantity of Australian and New Zealand wool. She was again purchasing but not anything like the quantity. France having had her machinery destroyed to so great an extent .was largely off the market. Another factor which operated to the disadvantage of New Zealand was that prices for woollen goods would continue high. He mentioned that w’hole in l-ondon on this occasion he had hod to pay £l4 14s, on w’Jiich no discount. was allowed, for an t’dihary good tailored suit of clothes. This was a typical example of the price of wod’en goods, and the cons&qivnce was that people were doing without. If wool were manufactured upon the basis of its present cost and placed within the reach of the people, there would be a very considerable reduction of the quantities on hand A great deal of profiteering is going on, and the whole thing is in a most unsatisfactory condition. When informed of the recent cabled information that Scottish woollen mills proposed to distribute direct to retailors, Sir Thomas said it would be a very difficult thing to cut out the wholesaler, who was the ordinary medium of distribution. MISTAKES IN CONTROL METHODS. Proceeding, Sir Thomas said that before giving up the High Commissionership he took the Wool Control!’" to task for his method, stating that if he continued the high charges he would increase the cost of the manufactured article beyond the users’ ability to pay, and that there would be an accumula-

tion of wool to congest the situation. “I know that his own experts advised him. to reduce the issue price of wool after the armistice, especially the coarser classes,” said Sir Thomas, “but instead of following the advice, he increased the price. I may add he'is not a wool man. On the question qf profits he made a' statement to a London paper from which the editor deduced, and the deduction was not questioned, that, he expected to make a profit of one hundred million pounds sterling over and above the price he contracted to pay for the wool.” FOREIGN COMPETITION IN WOULLENS. , On the question of the British woollen industry having to meet foreign competition, Sir Thomas safid that if Germany could buy in quantity at the present price and work on an economic method, she could under-cut Britain. Germany’s trouble was in getting credit. It seemed that the British manufacturer was averaging his costs, and he believed he was trafficking upon that system. Touching on the question of meat, Sir Thomas said there was an excellent marKet for lamb and light mutton—the price fdr lamb was about 100 per cent, better than that paid by the Imperial Government—but the developments of the future would require very careful watching by competent people.