marketing n.z. dairy PRODUCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1473, 22 June 1912, Page 13

MARKETING N.Z. DAIRY PRODUCE.

LITTLE HEADWAY IN TWENTY YEARS. '

SOME SUGGESTIONS,

Spy,

.question of how best to market /cnlnniWdairy- produce in tho United ' Kingdom \yas. one to which much proiui- . : iioiioe_ was given more than 20 years ago,"®':? but. liWlo.oL' no headway seems to haver been'made in arriving at a solution'. 1 ■ took. up. the position at tho time referred :to, and asivociifod it publicly and pvi-.- a j that all of tho. butter and cheeso/V-v... factories should' amalgamate, go fai .is ; tbo selling ■■portion yf-t'ho business is '•'■ ' concerned; and aet in "unison, but it all .cuded- in' expressions of approval, whu-ii. "*i> never,took itelinito shape, If all of -tho promieo could-bo'told-f.o.b. hero. no"' uiHiciilties would arise, but this is' im- " """ possible.:-.-. When it would pay factories .best to.consign; that is, tho'timo that ."4 British merchants will buy f. 0; 1>., and ' . ■-'* when" factory directors here suspect' t|i« •pwsiiccts of' decent, prices being; mode ■■ ■■> ..in the' Old. Country during the season ro- 'V 1 :.';. .mole,;and arc wishful to sell their output '■'./; liere.V thny.iucet with no response froiu ' ' I lito otner sulc. This has always Ix2oll the' case," ami ..always will be. in consign- '<■ ■■ ins goods, tho factory managers wish to ■' place.their goods in tho hands of wealth? t '*> ; and ■ well-known firms. Let us sugg«sV;'W .thai there .is in London a firm of uiul merchants and agents Damod •John Jones and Co. Sow, it is well kuotfii ,/iK that this firm is very wealthy, lias avery large connection, and a very high-'V-class reputation for fair-dealing. We will- ■■ '• assiUJH! that Messrs. .5 ones arid Co. havo ■' - an ordinary business outlet for, say," ; : -i . 10,000 boxes of butter per week, but, this being a consignment season, they aio 1 .'actually receiving 100,000 boxes per weckj.ffiiK they have no difficulty iu financing thia''i'-& large volume of produce, but their own ,'i ■}? ordinary outlet is blocked all along the .. . line, Well, all they can do is to call {rpl to their assistances mnaller wholpsnU houses_ throughout tho "United. Kingdom', and offer to sell them 2000 to 5000 boxes -.'.'V'at 2s. to 4s. lower than tho market price, .taii ■The second-handed buyer soils at'the niar-'v':"; .kct- price, and the ■ 2s. to . is. comes out of tho pockets of the factory <$S\ owners. This is a sample of what went'. . on every'ssnsou 1 was in tho trade, nmVSW I 1 have no doubt is going on to-day., Mv»s-£& first employer, who, was tho largest - !)!;'ter importer, in the Xorth of. England, hails:':? the: same difficulty' to contend-■ with .15 years ago. Being ,a. wealthy, man,. andUwell known- for his' stnii;:hlt':irwar'i draling, ho was at times blocked". up;? consignments from Denmark,'.AGermany, France,... and Ireland... ■; rule'was to send the owner a. draft .on .i.i: London for 75 per cent. o£ th« iioniiaal . value of the consignment tho day .it was received, and though letters-were. • con- . stnntly sent to shippers, requesting .them not to consign unless authorised to do so, little or no attention was paid to' tho request, the 75 per cent, immediate' advance- / ; '.r... silent being the inducement. •;

Necessity for Small Agents. „ Well, myself and oilier of the travellers, were sent out toseour.tho country, and gct-i; hold of large buyers, who would lake a. ;.; big line at a largo reduction... 1 Of course,a/.' ire could not pusli any more, stuff, on regular, customers, and we. had ■ to. bring"' in outsiders on the best; terms', possible. If the shippers of the goods iii' 1 question 1 on. the Continent and elsewhere had ■ •,: spread their net out, and brought in a. , lot of small agents in.-different partis of '-. tho country,'they,would have, saved largo ■' sums of money annually, but they would ' 1 not talis the trouble'to do this; aud they ... paid for their neglect. If it were pos- : siblo t-liat all of the butter and cheesa y. factories in Meiv Zealand were united at . the selling end, ihc.v\ouhi liave ..a depot '■' in London,';:which would feed depots in all: of; the large towns and cities in Great - ,Britain:Tho result would Ira that con- ~ ges'tion at any iiartieular place would 5)0 .stopped,' and all of the produce could be placed'iii retailers' hands at a total cost ..to.the.factories of 1 per ceat. or less. Of .'couTse, a scheme of this kitul would re- i; quiro.a 1 great deal of thought to work out oh a- thoroughly sound' commercial basis, ■#n<l':tho- question of financing wouM_ro.quire- to be gone into carefully.- >" Another scheme which 1 almost think is ; ,:thc best of the two is this;— Put the but- 1 ' ter andicheese up to auction in liondou an .< ,'oii?: day, each week, and buyers large and ■sniiiH wourd attend from all parts: -. Make 1 ■the, termS'-iiot cash in exchange for delivery order,' thus eliminating bad debts, and have a reserve price to each lot, • 'to.; protect the owner. The sales could. , be", conducted very much as are the wool , sales, and with the same satisfactory re-.' ■■suits...' I .' Probably the total expense by this latter, method would be under half "' per .cent, % £ think the important matter* jierein' dealt, with is worthy of tho ear«.,;,; ."ful 1 : consideration of those interested. \