Call For Rationalisation Of Production

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30536, 3 September 1964, Page 23

Call For Rationalisation Of Production

New Zealand and Australia had to rationalise their production to the basis of the most efficient producer, said the managing director of one of Australia’s biggest foodmanufacturing, importing, and exporting firms, Mr J. M. Lewis. Mr Lewis said he would day. Mr Lewis said he would welcome free trade between the two countries. It was time both countries became of age in rationalising production, Mr Lewis said. The most efficient producer should sell the goods. This did not necessarily mean the biggest producer. Mr Lewis said that his company, Master Foods Pty., Ltd., of Sydney, manufactured gourmet foods such as kanga-roo-tail soup, turtle soup, and other goods such as mustard, sauces, pickles, marmalade, liver paste, devilled ham, and fish paste. His company was the only one in Australia that imported New Zealand honey, and was Australia’s biggest distributor of New Zealand bluevein, smoked, and danbo cheeses.

“My company’s association with New Zealand food products dates back to the days when my father, Henry Lewis, started importing New Zealand epicure cheese from the Wanganui district,” he said. “We were early in the development of selling toheroas at Is 6d a tin in Sydney.” Mr Lewis said that today his company manufactured 150 varieties of food and imported more than 500 varieties.

The purpose of his visit was to see what New Zealand had to offer at the New Zealand Food Fair. Already his company had placed orders for food products he saw at the fair. Tasman Shipping The lack of Tasman shipping, said Mr Lewis, had caused his company to be out of stock of New Zealand bluevein cheese in Sydney for the last three weeks. “We ordered it five weeks ago,” said Mr Lewis. “You

can’t stockpile a product like cheese. As a result of the chaotic shipping situation in the Tasman, shippers are unable to meet their delivery commitments in Australia.” According to the law of supply and demand, such shipping delays must detrimentally affect New Zealand’s export trade to Australia, Mr Lewis said. Without efficient and regular shipping between the two countries, some firms could almost go out of business. New Zealand had a big future with its food products in Australia in certain fields if it could give assured deliveries. Mr Lewis said he understood that an import restriction of 200 tons of cheese a year had been placed on New Zealand by Australia. “I would not like to comment on this,” he said. “I think the New Zealand Dairy Board knows more about it than I do.”