NEW MARKETS FOR DOMINION PRODUCE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20626, 16 August 1932, Page 14

NEW MARKETS FOR DOMINION PRODUCE.

TO IJIE KDITOP. OF THZ PRESS Sir,—The want of more markets appears to be troubling many people nowadays. They should have been more careful in the past, and not refused markets when offered to them. My own experience makes a nice little story. I. went to Kehintaii, one of the Malay States, at the . beginning of-1905. At

that time there were few white men in that State. Fowls and tinned meat were the only meat procurable, and I was advised to take some eases of tinned meats from Singapore. So I took two cases, one Australian and one American. When there were opened, they were not eatable, and had to be dumped into the river. cases from the same countries, with the same result. When in Singapore in 1908 I made arrangements with the firm of John Little, with whom we dealt, the largest firm south of the Line, to try New Zealand tinned meats. When my wife and I were in Wellington, visiting some of our frieuds before we returned to the Malay States, 1 mentioned the matter to my old friend, J. W. Poynton, at that time Public Trustee. He was very enthusiastic about getting new markets for New Zealand products and took me to the office of a meat company. I gave the manager all the details, told him all I knew about the Singapore firm, etc., and I wanted samples to take back to show John Little's manager. I got samples by paying £1 for them. The shipping company gave the case free passage. John Little's were delighted, and ordered a good shipment at once. We took some of the tins up to Kelantan, gave most of them away, and made a good name for our country; and if that trade has been lost, the fault is in New Zealand. As far a3 we were concerned, we neither received thanks nor my £1 back. The meat created such a good impression that when I was returning home, near the end of 1.911, I was asked whether there were other firms tinning meat. A large firm asked .me to see these firms and put them in touch, with the object of importing their brands. I was also asked about our butter, and I replied that no butter made could equal New Zealand butter. I camo home, expecting to extend the meat trade and open up butter trade. I went to a firm to whom I was well known, and was taken to the manager of another, engaged in tinning butter. In spite of the influence 1 was able to exert, wc could not get this firm to put up one-pound tins. It had fivepound tins; but of course five-pound tins in Malaya are of no use, because when the tin is opened it has to be used up quickly or is lost. In Christchurch the manager of another firm told me that the meat trade with Malaya was not wanted. The butter in Singapore in those days was not fit to grease the axles of a cart with. I have no doubt that there is a good opening for trade in the Malay States still.—Tours, etc., GEORGE LEE. Tcmpleton, August 14th, 1932.