NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE AT HOME.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2879, 25 December 1890, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE AT HOME.

- •— ■ A Dcnkdin Star correspondent writing on October 17th of Mr Henry Reynolds' mission to England in connection with the sale of dairy produce, says:—Mr Reynolds purposes, after visiting Denmark (for which country he loaves next week), to settle down in London for the colonial dairy produce season, and to (as far as possible) test ■ and trace out tho history of e*'ery consignment arriving. He did this the other day in the case of a few kegs from Auckland, and with the remarkable result that he found the bntter being retailed ns "primo Danish," at a profit of from ->.> to :i0 per cent, on the wholesale price. " llus, said Mr Reynolds to himself, " won't do at all. Wo exporters must have a slice of that 30 percent." One result of Mr Reynolds' provincial tour is that he has already grasped a fundamental and all important truth which exporters of frozen mutton could never be got to realise properly when their trade began to make way, and which has in consequence cost them tens of thousands of pounds and put profits which should have been theirs into the ■hands of greedy retailers. The truth is this : That if New Zealand butter is ever to stand on its own bottom and compete fairly and squarely with Danish and other qualities, agencies must, to begin with, he appointed, where it will ho sold "ftr what it is, and not as anything else." Mr Reynold', thinks the best, way to do this would bo to take a place like Manchester or Glasgow, and appoint a number of reliable retailers agents, making them give an undertaking to sell the produce as New Zealand and under no other name. Look what has happened in the mutton trade : Thousands of New Zoaland carcases are sold daily in London, yet yon won't find one butcher in ten .vho admits the possession of New Zealand mutton. " I went" said Mr Stephen Grant (of Grant and Foster) to Mr Reynolds tho other day, into my butchei's yesterday. He began boasting he only sold the very finest qualities of Scotch, Welsh, Southdown, and Dartmoor mutton. His clients wore the smart folk of Belgravia and South Kensington, and indifferent what they paid so long as the moat was good. " Much New Zealand mutton sold?" "Never allow such a thing in mv shop." Don't talk to me like that, man," said Mr Grant, sharply, "I've cut my eye-teeth. There are four New Zealand carcases hanging there. You should rub the brands off if you don't wish people to know." The crestfallen salesman thereupon admitted that ' he sold large quantities of New Zealand mutton to many of tho best families, who preferred it because it was sweeter and not so fat as the Scotch mutton. Of course he ; charged the top market prico for the meat ' and encouraged persons to buy it. If, however, they asked lor New Zealand mutton, ho ran it down and pretended he would not havo such a thing in his shop. '. In this way retailers manage to make ' gigantic profits o:-:t of your mutton and yet keep down the wholesale price. To prevent the same thing happening with New Zealand bntter and cheese is the most im- ; portant pirt of Mr Reynolds' mission. ! He goes to Denmark (as I have said) next week, and expects to have to exercise a good deal of tact and diplomacy to see all he wishes to. The j Danish people are very jealous of Nf.w 1 Zealanders now. Their Government have t impressed on them that the colony looks like becoming a formidable rival presently, and that to give any wrinkles away is a tactical blunder. When Professor Long t went over recently he found the factory ( doors slammed in his face, and could get in c nowhere. His more practical rival, Mr ■ Watt, did not drive around in a carriage and pair "giving his mission away," but slouched about with a knapsack like an n ordinary tourist and talked to the under- 0 etrappers, etc., learning all ho wished.