The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, JAN. 8, 1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2884, 8 January 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, JAN. 8, 1891.

Equal anil Bx;ict justicc t« all men, . Of whatsoever statu or persuasion, religious or political.

' KOM mi interesting communication n roni Mi- Henry Reynolds, appear J n- in this issue, it would seem to , K! a question beyond dispute that lis visit to lingiand will socn bear i Vuit. Already we learn that \ \[r ]leynolds has established an , ti-rru'V " for his firm in T,nn- t lon, 'not merely for th" , ,f their own butter, but for the , lisposal of all dairy produce, fruit, • Vc\. that may be consigned to theui 'or sale. That this will be of im- , nense benefit to New Zealand ship- ■ dci's goes without saying. _ Mr Key- j iolds° is at once a dairyman, a , farmer, and a Rood "»*» of business, ! md the advantage of having dairy xnd orchard produce sold in England under his personal supervision is at once apparent. The chief diiUculty in the disposal of our produce, so fur, has been to get a fair recognition at the other end, and complete satisfaction in this respect will never be obtained until our shippers, whether of dairy produce or frozen meat, get into closer unfl more (lircct communication with the home consumer. But it is not merely in the bettor control of our produce in the British market, that care and improvement lsneeessarv. Something more is needed, and this is to see that our produce shall always be landed m the best condition." Unless every precaution is taken to ensure this, our ,-access will be at the best but partial. One shipment may be satisfactory, the next not bo. The experience gained during tno wast season should not be wasted, as we all know a very large proportion of the dairy produce sent out of the colony was condemned 111 the Home market as inferior, Ihe reason is not far to seek. ai S e quantities of butter, intended tor critical British palates, of grand qualitv when it left the dairy, was iirst sent in ordinary trucks 03 train to the seaport, then shipped on board coastal steamers as ordinary cargo, there being no provision for any better treatment Atter several days of this the_ dairy produce was finally deposited in the cool chambers of the big steamors for home, practically spoilt before it loft the shores of New Zealand. Gould success be possible under such conditions ? Wo have been told by oxports thoroughly up in the business, that our climate and pasture are such as to produce the best butter in the world, and that they had tasted the best butter here; but of what value is it to us if the butter cannot be transported iu prime condition to the consumer wherever ho may be. We are glad to see that much "■renter facilities are available this season, at the various shipping ports for getting the butter into the cool chambers at once, and regular consignments are now being sent to England monthly direct from ~nd. This is absolutely necessary if the dairying business is to flourish.

The same remarks will apply even in a greater degree to fruit. We believe a lar«c unci lucrative export trade will vet spring up in our best class of apples, bat better provision must be made for their _ packing, storage and transportation. Io spealT pliiinly we have the fruit, there is the market, and it should be the earnest; endeavour of all to put forth every effort to make the trade a successful one. Of late years fruit-growing has fallen into disrepute ainong us. This is not surprising, the prices received here in many instances scarcely paid for freight and packing, but tins cannot continue. With an unlimited market brought within reach for our best kinds of fruit with preserving factories, and cider mills in full operation, as they undoubtedly will be ere long, the r,atieut orcharlist will be assured a fair reward for the years of care iind attention given to his trees.^ Of Mr Reynolds' mission to Lngland, we have always had great hopes, and we arc not alone in trusting that in addition to the advantages it may confer upon the dairying and fruit-growing industries, generally it will result in immediate aud lasting benofib to his own enterprising firm.