VALUE OF ADVERTISING.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17259, 24 September 1921, Page 17

VALUE OF ADVERTISING.

AYESHIBES AND FEIESIAN&

[ttOll OXTR OWN* CORRESPONDENT.}

LONDON, August 11. Daring his travels in the Mother Country, Mr Stuart Wilson, a wellfcnown business man in Wellington, has jaen taking the opportunity to make enquiries into matters likely to be of Xcff Zealnnd interest generally, but in connexion with produce particularly. When be reaches New Zealand in October, he intends to make known in influential and agricultural centres the conclusions to which he has come as the result, and those conclusions he thinks nnd hopes should be of benefit to thw Dominion producers. Sir Wilson has just come through from Scotland, after spending two days at the Stirling Show, and a query uppermost in his mind is: Are the Frielian cuttle really so superior to the jlyrshires as the relative prices would lend one to believe? The Friesians that were being sold at Stirling were bringing anything from £SOO to £IOOO per neud, while the Ayrshires ranged i, from £250 to £SOO. His doubts were * further strengthened when he was told ' of a recent test that had been made et the Kilmarnock Dairy School—it was b fair average test and was made quite unannounced by the principal of the institution. In the case of the Friesian cattle. 5501b of milk yielded 3 per cent, of butter-fat and produced a cheese of 461b in weight. In the case of the Ayrshires, 6501b of milk yielded 3.6 per cent of butter-fat, and produced a cheese of 531b in weight. The result was a groat disappointment to champions of the Friesians, but they quietly let it pass without comment. Mr Wilson is firmly convinced that people all over the world hear of Friesians and buy them because their qualifications are well advertised. Sir Trevor Williams is the head of a splendid organisation which is responsible for the spreading fame of the breed, not only in the United Kingdom, but in countries everywhere which have dairying interests. On the other hand, those who still pin their faith to the Ayrshires buy the cattle because they know their worth, but their fame is not spread abroad throughout the world, simply because there is no organisation among Scottish owners to boom them. At the Government farm near Wellington, there are chiefly Friesians cows, and Mr Wilson maintains that the farmer should be in a position to know what breed is going to give him the best results as a,milk producer. Lack of organisation and advertisement by Ayrshire adherents is giving a great advantage to the more enterprising body who so skilfully propagate the merits of the Friesian breed, i'fhis lack of organisation on the part of Ayrshire owners gives Mr Wilson the text for hiß firm conviction that there ' must be organisation among the New Zealand farmers if their produce is going to receive in overseas markets the recognition it merits, and there must also be money spent on advertising it. sew Zealand spends nothing on adver- . tising, and the fact has been- borne llome to the traveller, who has seen ihe apparently unrestricted efforts Aade in this direction by Canada and Australia. |: "If the producers of New Zealand," he says, "are willing to pay-a little nioney and do some hard thinking, their troubles will soon be ended. A charge of one per cent, on all produce sent but of New Zealand and put into an agricultural bank, which might, for instance, be a branch of the Bank of Xew Zealand, or be a separate institution, wpald very soon, raise sufficient, money to give New Zealand producers deal, not only in the United 'Kingdom, tut all over the world. The New Zealand producers have not taken the trouble to advertise the splendid products .they produce, and. they are . losing millions bf.money in consequence. The farmers cannot have their products satisfactorily'handled in the United Kingdom unless they themselves make 'a move to get organised, and to ad.vertise. for there is still opposition to . overcome.. TJenmark has its agriopltural bank, and its effect is very beneficial/while its cost is Mr Wilson is an advocate of a trade representative in London, under the aegis of the New Zealand Government, to be associated with several experts, who would meet at regular and fre- ■ quent intervals and make decisions. In 'this way .he sees the only possibility of the produce being sold really as it should be' sold—i.e., as shipped from New Zealand, and without losing; its identity. He maintains that the A'ew Zealand, dairy produce should have a reputation among the public equal to thr reputation which has been established. I>y Denmark. "Danish butter" • is a' household necessity, and the New Zealand product should be held in similar estimation. . . . , . ; There are' people in London, who ought to be in a position to know, who 'tell you that one-glass jar of pure New ' Zealand honey hermetically sealed at the'hive, can be made by subsequent treatment to fill six jars; and it is thus ;fchat the produce reputation is established! Mr Wilson -has come to the conclusion that the wool-growers get 'fairer treatment in England than the producers of other kinds of produce, for Its distribution seems to be on a fairer - ■ * ■_'.'' v' t.pn'hiß return to New Zealand he ntftends,to Bring his views, very thoroughij before the various public institutions -to which he belongs.