MARKETS FOR PRODUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1922, Page 5

MARKETS FOR PRODUCE.

OPPORTUNITY IN BRITAIN. f OTHER PORTS BUT LONDON. FREIGHTS FAR TOO HIGH. ji 9 Marketing and other matters of vital concern to the producers were referred, to by the Prime Minister in his reply tb the Farmers’ Union deputation at Wellington on Saturday. “One point I would like to mention, about marketing,” said Mi 1 . Massey. “I have said I believe Britain is our best market. I believe she will continue to be our best market, but we want to make quite certain that we hold our own there. The setting-up of our Meat Producers’ Board has drawn an enormous amount of attention to us in the United Kingdom. Almost very neWBH paper has written leading articles about us. That started Hull and Manchester —I have seen the stores in Manchester. Then Bristol, Liverpool and other centres expressed a desire to share in the New Zealand trade, and to do business with us. They wanted, regular shipments of our meats, and I thitfk it is an opportunity we should not lose sight of. We should do all we can to supply the trade willing to deal with us there. If we do not trade in our meats with such centres as Manchester, make no mistake, the American .States will do it, and. once they get established in Manchester, we are going to find it difficult to shift them. “With the exception of beef, we dan hold our own with the Argentine, but there are other American States to which a tremendous impetus was given to production in the war period. We never thought Patagonia was much thought of before the war, but tMr. are now competing in meat, from e climate which is no more severe than the climate of the South Island, I want to warn you to make the most of the new markets.” Mr. Polson: I was dealing more with the markets nearer at hand. The Prime Minister: That Won’t limit us to Britain. If we get an opportunity anywhere else, let us take advan- w tage of it. THE SHIPPING PROBLEM. “Shipping is a difficult question deal with publicly,” said the Prime Min» ister, turning to the proposal for a producers’ line. “If the shipping companies doing business with New Zealaad will carry our produce at a reasonable price, we don’t want to go any further.” Mt. Polson: So far as the Home coun« try is concerned. Mr. Massey: I think shipping prices are very unreasonable. The freights are far too high, and I hope something will be done to reduce them. The Prime Minister referred to a change that was coming aA>out in shipping. The present type of’ ships would, soon lie obsolete, and would be replaced by oil-driven vessels. Only one of them had come to New Zealand. This point had to tbe borne in mind, in the consideration of any proposed change. No Government could manage shipping, as it ought to be managed. “See what is going on in Australia and. Canada,” he said.

Mr. Polson said he had information, from a speech of the Australian Prime Minister, that the Commonwealth Sfiip-i ping Line had been profitable. Mr. Massey: They are not paying, I know. Mr. Polson: The whole of their capital cost has been written off. The Prime Minister: Mr. Hughes was referring to the small ships purchased during the war, which were very profitable. All the information I have is in the other direction. If Mr. Hughes said that, I accept it. ‘“PRODUCERS MUST FIND CAPITAL.’’ “If anything is going to be done in the way of purchasing shipping, the capital must be found by the producers,” said Mr. Massey, at a later stage. “I don’t think I would be justified in using Government money,” he said. “That is agreed,” said Captain Colbeck. Mr. Massey added that he would arrange for representation of the Farmers’ Union on the Board of Agriculture. In reply to a question by Captain Colbeek, the Prime Minister said he was not sanguiue of the success of <our products in the Eastern markets. “They are not a meat-eating people/* he said. “Mr. Sastri, the Indian statesman, would not touch meat to save his life, and many millions in India were like that. The Japanese and the Javanese were* not the same. There is no reason why we should not take advantage of our opportunities. There may be a market for our wool, some of which was going to Japan already. As to taking large quantities, however, I am not at all sanguine.”