WANTED AN EMPIRE POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 306, 26 December 1924, Page 7

WANTED AN EMPIRE POLICY.

GROCERS' FEDERATION SLOGAN. CONFLICTS WITH PRACTICE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 14. The primary producers of New Zealand, find themselves up against innumerable snags when it comes to tightening up the organisation of the distributing end of their trade. In the case of their dairying industry they have set their minds on getting New Zealand butter right into the hands of consumers without any chance of its being manipulated before it gets to the British breakfast table. One of the chief ends of their display and sale at Wembley of half and one pound packets attractively labelled and guaranteed New Zealand produce, was to accustom the public to the fact that New Zealand butter was good when it was obtainable unblended. As was remarked in the report of the business done there, the sale of every package was a nucleus of an ever widening circle of potential buyers. But a post-exhibition problem has now arisen. Has this propaganda been too successful? The new problem seems to point that way. It would appear that the Grocers' Federation, which boasts that it comprises 16,000 retailers, does not like the distribution in cartons. They do not like, they say, handling butter as if it were a proprietary article done up in ready prepared cartons. They have therefore written to the High Commissioner about it. They ask too, that butter should be sent here in 561b cases. In the reply sent by the secretary to the New Zealand Government on behalf of Sir James Allen, the federation is informed that their objection is not clear in view of the fact that butter is consigned to this country in 561b cases, none of it being packed or wrapped up in the Dominion, the latter process being in the hands of the various owners in this country. So far as the High Commissioner knew, the principal firm packing New Zealand butter in cartons is the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, and it was suggested that the federation should communicate with that company. In reply, the federation asked for the address of the New Zealand Co operative Dairy Company, and, as this concern is a well established concern in London for the wholesale supply of New Zealand butter, it does not exactly testify to the federations business acumen, that it missed the point clearly made, that the packing was done here and that, therefore, they could have obtained the company's address in the telephone directory. A strange coincidence was noted at the time of this correspondence, that the ''GroceTs' Journal," the official organ of the trade, has in a recent number, and in bold headlines, advertised th? need in the trade—"Wanted an Empire Policy." it says. Such a policy is certainly wanted, but not one which will give power to distributors, to disguise the source of their supplies from countries of the Empire proud of the purity of their food products. There are important retail stores which are not taking this attitude | towards New Zealand butter sold ir ' packages, who apparently do not dis I dam to handle it as a proprietary article It is hard, therefore, to understand the annoyance expressed by the federation unless indeed they wish to retain powei • to blend Dominion butters with others— : I the very thing which the system of ,\ packing in cartons is intended to kill.