MARKETING PRODUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1921, Page 7

MARKETING PRODUCE.

_ NEED FOR ADVERTISING, ■ QUALITY THE DECIDING FACTOR. The failure of those interested in the dairying industry to see that the good qualities of New Zealand butter and cheese are made widely known on the markets of the Homeland was, at the opening of the Bell Block factory, strongly stressed by Mr. F. G. Greville, who has made a study of the subject, and has also visited the Home markets on various occasions, and is familiar with the system now in vogue. He remarked that the subject of marketing was the most important one in connection with the industry, because they must admit that the produce was no good to them until it was marketed. How much, he asked, had they spent in marketing dairy produce? The factory they had opened fhat day was one of the best cheese factories he had seen in New Zealand, and the people in North Taranaki supplied the best cheese made in Australasia, and that was a material point in mrketing. He showed how other concerns had made huge profits by advertising. With the factory the Bell Block Company had they were going to continue to produce the best cheese in Australasia. If they did not it would not be the fault of the manager. When in England he was struck by the fact that if they got quality in England, the price did not matter, and this opinion was impressed by the head of one of the biggest concerns in England, who told him that for 35 years he had been getting cheese off one farm, and the price did not matter. It had been suggested on various occasions that a certain amount should be devoted to advertising New Zealand produce, or, as Mr. Brash (secretary of the National Dairy Association) put it on his returning from England: “I want to put New Zealand on the map.” When in England he had tried, but could not find, New Zealand butter. In 1914 France sent over to England 16,000 tons of butter, and one firm took half that amount. He asked the head of that firm what happened in the season when there was no French butter available, and was told that it was replaced with best New Zealand, which was sold as “French.” Bell Block, he said, manufactured the richest cheese in New Zealand, and if he owned the Bell Block factory he would instruct the people who handled the output to spend £lOOO per annum in advertising their cheese in one city. He pointed out that one multiple store handled 80 tons of butter, 150 tons of cheese and 80 tons of bacon in a week. Proceeding, he said: To market our beautiful buter and splendid cheese without advertising is sheer lunacy.” New Zealand was the biggest contributor to England’s imported cheese. New Zealand was now exporting more than Canada. In fact, he thought they were now within measurable distance of the line when New Zealand would be the only exporter of cheddar cheese in any quantity. In 1910 Canada had exported 90,000 tons of cheese, and in 1912 the total was 72.000 tons, but this had fallen to 42,000 tons in 1920. Every country was competing for England’s butter trade.

Mr. R. W. D. Robertson, representing Sir Thos. Clements and Sons, said that as the first grader in New Plymouth he had graded Bell Block butter before the days of the freezer, and even then they made good butter. The question of marketing was a long and difficult subject to handle. He congratulated both the Bell Block directors and the company on the fine building. He looked upon the factory as standing for the progress of the company, and suggested that they should look upon it as a “temple of quality.” Quality, he said, was what was going to count in the future. Quantity was not so much the disideratum to look for as quality. Quality would mean not a difference of 6d or Is per cent., but 10s or 20s, and that would force the value of quality on their notice. He congratulated the directors on their foresight “in catching the profits that were whizzing past,” and erecting such a fine factory. Their profits would come back in manifold in the quality of their produce. Older factories would find it very difficult to maintain the quality. He deprecated the action of the Government in putting a tax on reserves set aside for re building. This, he considered. a wrong policy, as it put a premium on spendthrifts. The markets, he said, at present were most erratic, and were likely to continue most erratic for some time. He urged them not to be pessimistic when prices were down and not to be optimistic when prices were up. Prices would fluctuate considerably, and he instanced where they had fluctuated 50s in about five weeks. He urged them always to base their calculations on what would be the average of prices. Mr. Robertson also drew attention to the reports that occasionally appeared in the papers from visitors to England, which did an injustice to the dairy industry. They mixed meat, butter, cheese, etc., under the heading of' “produce.” If meat were badly handled, he would assure them that there was no trouble under this heading with dairy produce. As to the talk of their butter being blended with inferior butter, he pointed out that this blended butter was sold as the best Devonshire butter, and if anyone had cause for complaint it was the English consumer. The Prime Minister had taken up the question of marketing and was sending a representative Home to watch the position. He would assure them on behalf of Tooley Street that such a delegate would be welcomed, and would be shown everything because Tooley Street had nothing to hide. The produce was handled in a straightforward way and the best price obtained for it. He made a strong protest against the publication of articles without sufficient knowledge of the subject, as such were misleading. There should be more genuine knowledge from the other end, and they should not have to trust too much to misleading articles, often from interested sources.