EGGS FOR ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 172, 22 July 1924, Page 7

EGGS FOR ENGLAND.

A SUCCESSFUL VENTURE. BIG PRICES KEAIJSED. HIGHER THAN ENGLISH NEW-LAID "I noticed a wonderful growing popularity in England in favour of New Zealand produce," said Mx. J. B. Merrett, who arrived by the Corinthic from England to-day. Mr. Merrett went to England to supervise trial shipments of New Zealand eggs, and to establish, if possible, a regular market in London for this product. He was also New Zealand de.egate to the World's Poultry Conference, held in Spain. His mission was most successful. "There is no limit," ho said, "to our possibilities' in regard to eggs on the London market. I Everywhere I went I-found that I was welcomed as a representative of New Zealand trade, there to sell New Zealand produce. I was told it would be hard to interview bnsiness men, but I (lid not see one who was not willing to spend time to talk with mc and to offer every facility for my mission. They said: 'If New Zealand eggs arc as good as New Zealand produce, they will do us.' "During seven months I spent in London 1 noticed a tremendous change I m favour of New Zea'and produce; ,\ et 1 was astonished at. the absolute i ignorance of co many people in regard ito the affinity of England and the Dominions. People who became informed of the extent and resources of the Dominions expressed both astonishment and gratifiration. They enly need ! education regarding our products to I willingly accept all the stuff we can j send them. I ''It is remarkable that the produce of ] foreign countries, like Denmark and Holland, has such a tremendous hold in Great Britain. But these countries spend a lot of money and devote a great deal of energy to advertising their produce in London—they advertise well in all the shop windows which deal with produce. Yet New Zealand produce is equal to anything; there is nothing produced anywhere can beat it. The quantity of deterioration in our eggs in cool storage on the way Home was absolutely negligible. The people who ate them in London would not believe they came from such a distance. Several large buyers asked mc to give them preference in future shipments. One buyer, a restaurant keeper, used all he could get—2oo0— in a couple of hours. You have no idea of the eggs eaten in London. We can get enough orders there to take all the eggs produced in New Zealand. "And what will New Zealanders do for New Zealand eggs?' asked the interviewer. "Well, the producers produce to sell at the best price," replied Mr. Mcrrett. "The thing is to stimulate production so as to be able both to supply the London demand and the demand here. For instance, the man now in charge of 500 birds could manage 1500, say, and the greater the number, within limits, the less the cost of production per bird. We can go on to almost any development in production. No less tlian £13,000,000 worth of I eggs are imported in England every yeai I from 42 different countries. The merI chants of London will give New ZeaI land eggs preference every time. \Vf could get almost the whole market, in quality, if we could supply the goods. Even if we supplied one-third, look at the money; if we supplied only onethirteenth, that would mean £1,000,000 to be divided among the egg-producers of New Zealand. What a stimulant to production that would be!' . Over 1,000,000 eggs went Home in the trial shipments, and Mr. Merrett says the qhief factor in the success of the experiment was the grading. The excellence of the grading more than compensated for the slight deterioration in quality suffered on the long voyage. This deterioration -was confined only to slight evaporation. People eating the New Zealand eggs refused to believe that they were from cool storage, so fresh did they taste, and in some instances they brought from one penny Ito twopence a dozen more than English j new-laid eggs of a week old.