WORLD'S.GREATEST MARKETS

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 16, 19 January 1914, Page 6

WORLD'S.GREATEST MARKETS

ICNMN AWB ITS RIVALS. WHY XEW ZEALAND IS INTERESTED. PORT ATJTHORTTSTS EMISSARY ADDRESSES CBiAMBER OF COMMERCE. An interesting address was delivered at the Chamber of -Commerce this afternoon by Mr. J. H. Estill, commercial superintendent of the Port of London Authority, on, " London, the Market of the World." The president of the Chamber of Commerce (iMr. S. J. Nathan) presided, ami there -mas a good attendance of members and others interested in the subject of the facilities offered in the Port of London for the handling and storage of goods. JEALOUSY OF OTHER PORTS. Mr. Estill prefaced his address by explaining what the Port of London Authority is, and what its functions are. It is a statutory body, appointed by an Act of Parliament, to manage the whole of the Docks, on the Thamee, and the warehouses within the docks. It is, in short, guardian of the River Thames, its docks and warehouses. Emissaries had been sent out from other minor ports in the United Kingdom with a view to booming their own particular port. "A healthy rivalry between ports conduces to the general benefit of trade," said Mr. Estill, " and if these eloquent gentlemen were not obsesned with a malignant jealousy of London's greatness, which leads them to make inaccurate and disparaging statements about the Port of London, •Wβ should have no cause to object. But since they have given, and are giving circulation to so many damaging sta-tements, it becomes necessary for mc, as the accredited representative of the Port of London Authority, to pnt the facts 'before you." WHAT LONDON' OFFERS. Mr. Estill then proceeded to deal with various charges which have been made against the Port of London Authority in regard to the handling of produce. It had been alleged that frozen meat was damaged in the unloading, and placed in leaking barges, that wool -was littered over the quays, and that dairy produce was allowed to drift in dirty barges up river at the mercy of the tide. Tho speaker, in repudiating these statements, explained what actually was done. Though the Port Authority handled 00 per cent of the frozen meat imported into London, lees than 1 per cent of it was barged. Frozen meat, usually, was discharged by electric elevators to endless band conveyers, under cover, and then into insulated trucks, for the provinces, or insulated vans for Smithfiekl. The Port Authority, moreover, was spending another half-million on additional facilities for the meat trade alone, and building a new dock, largely for the colonial trade, at a cost of a further £2,000.000.

Adjoining Smithfield Meat Market the Authority is erecting a new ineulated warehouse with the capacity of 80,000 carcases. Here meat would be worked from the hold of'the steamer by electric elevators on to electrically driven band conveyors under cover, by which it would be conveyed to the sorting sheds. After the meat hurt been sorted it would be delivered under cover to insulated carts, rail-way wagons or, for those who *vieh for storage accommodation, by endlees band conveyors under cover to the cold stores behind. Thus it would be seen that the meat would be subject to the minimum amount of atmospheric influences, and, except for the necessary process of sorting to marks, all manhandling Svonld be avoided.

FOUR CARDINAL POINTS. ■In speaking of Lowd'on a© a depot for frozen meat, continued Mr distill, four cardinal pointe faid- ix> be borne in mind, points wTrich, wJkti choosing a port, were as necessary as the. fimKng , af the foundations rbefore building a house. The first wae the enormous local market of eight millions of people within a radius of ten miles the docke. a population nearly ciglrb that of the whole of New Zealand; a population for the most part wealthy and ready to pay for the beet that' the world could produce. Secondly, owing to London bedng a "World market, buyers were attracted; from the four corners of tie. kingdom. Consequently, the maximum arrwrniitt of compctiiicm existed. Thirdly, the excellent accommodation for trade already providted in the port, ami the very large amount of money—upwardß of nearly haLf-a-miTlwm pounds sterling—iwhich vrae being spent by the port authority on further facilities for tie meat trade. Fourthly, London possessed an excellent and unrivalled distributing system, unequalled by no other port—nine trunk lines all radiia/ting from LoikDon, and all comrected with the docks. In no other ■port in the world was enc'h a combination wf advantages to fee found. A REPLY TO CROTIGS. Representatives of eom-e other ports talk glibly of tih-e 11 millions or co of people 'their port ooiild serve, but New Zealantfers were probably not told that ■these millione were from 150 to 175 1 miles ibeihind the port. Nor did they tell of their small local manket, and how it iwonld be glutted if asked k> absorb more ifoan half a Ship's load af meat. Within a radd'ue of '100 miles- of London there "were 16 millione of people. It has 'been stated: that if their produce wae shipped l through these particular ports the rtfeat would l ibe subjected to less handling and' less railage. Seeing that the meat would ihave to be railed, cay 150 to 175 miles, .before *be large .population was reached, the statement an regard to ress railage fell by the iboaTd; in fact, they had eight millions of people at the port of London, prawtically wrtihin earshot of the steamer's siren, while the other ports had to rail their produce 175 rn-ileß before their milßoaiß were reached.

In equally interesting manner Mr Bstill dealt wsth the facilities- afforded for handling dairy prod<uce, wool, and other goods. Tfiie unarkete were attended by tmyers from all parts of tic world, ■and the maximum amount of competition exjeteri. The pout of London authority was 'only created three yea-re ago, but already much hadi been done to make the port up to date, and when he etated that the programme of improvements titrvolved an expenditure of £14,000,000, it mould 1 be realised that •facilities and arrangemente for dealing with colonial prodtuee would , fflfft be lack-