NEW ZEALAND TRADE.

Evening Post, Volume LXIII, Issue 97, 24 April 1902, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND TRADE.

MR. GOW IN SOUTH WALES. "AN UNLIMITED MARKET." (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 14th March. On tho return of Air. G. Qruhurn Uow from his trip to South Wales and Bristol, which ho undertook in company with Mr. H. C. Cameron, I had a chat . with him with reference to his visit to the two principal ports of the Severn estuary — Cardiff and Bristol. "We were splendidly 'received both at Cardiff and Bristol," Aaid Mr. Qow. "At tho former place we found, including two smaller ports near, cold storage accommodation for nearly 250,000 curcases. The Cardiff Dock Company, round whose extensive property wo were shown, has a thoroughly up-to-dato cold storage without a single carcase in it. Their dock charges were fixed by Act of Parliament, but in the matter of Btoruge rated they were prepared to meet us in every way. They were very keeu for shipments." "What do you think of South Wales as a market?" "There wilt be a big outlet for produce there," was Mr. Gqw's reply. "Our butter has drivon Danish butter from the market; the people prefer New Zealand butter,, 'and, what is more, are greatly tii ken with the oblong boxes which Mr. Cameron has striven so hard to got adopted. They -are pleased, too, with the grading, and look upon it as a reliablo guarantee. Had 1 been a commercial traveller I could hare booked orders for thousands of tons of New Zealand buttor for Curd iff alone. To our cheese they do not take so kindly." ''Then you think there is a good market in South Wales?" "There is practicaly an unlimited market for butter in that district. One man I saw would have given mo an order for 800 tons, and another fof 500 tons. Those were only two of mdny»i and they were all keen. And that was 'with a freight . to pay from London to Cardiff amounting to 28s 9d to 30s per ton, which, of course, was a handicap, for Canadian and Argentine produce goes to Cardiff and Bristol practically direot." "What about mutton?" "They prefer our mutton, but thoy cannot get it. The railway freight from London handicaps it too much. One person told me ho would like to give an order for 10,000 lambs if ships culled in there. And ua to that, Ido not see why ships could not call a£ Bristol and Cardiff, coaling (it the latter^ port .and then going on to Liverpool and Manchester. The difficulty, of course,' is return cargo, but vessels should be able to get buck loading with roofing iron and things of that sort. But it js for buttor that at present there is such a promising market. ■ I see that recently the farmers of Taranaki waited upon the Premier, and doubts were expres&ed whether, now that Australian ports were closed, it would be well to co on .making produce for shipment. Well, where I have been lately there is to all intents and purposes an unlimited market. And whichever gets there first, the Commonwealth or New Zenlnnd, will i^et that nnrket Those who make tho first "hlpinent will get it. If we could arrange for steamei* to call there and start the traders with our produce, that market would be ours. All the remarks I have made in regard to Cardiff apply with equal force to BiNtol." T miv ,'dd that Mr. Gow informed me 1 that durum his visit to tha West ol Entf-

laud, as elsewhere, complaints reached him with regard to the butter of one particular faotoiyj and this butter was met with on several occasious.