BIG QUESTIONS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 12, 15 January 1913, Page 8

BIG QUESTIONS

FUTURE OFTHE FROZEN MEAT TRADE 'LONDONER WEST COAST : PORTS? MR. W. D. LYSNAR'S OPINIONS. Mr. W. D. Lysnar, one of the foremost advocates of the improvement' of', methods for the handling of New Zealand frozen produce in London, returned to New Zealand by the Manuka to-day from a visit to the Old Country where he closely interested himself in a problem: which is. of vital interest to the producers of this country. \ " The necessity for improving at London the facilities both for marketing and handling New Zealand produce to-day," he said to a Post reporter, "are as acute as they were in 1910, .when I, in conjunction "with the New Zealand Producers' Company^ investigated matters. Had* the Port of London Authority carried out the facilities which were then asked for, they would have been completed six months ago. This has not , been done, but the Port Authorities are j perfectly fair and frank in acknowledging that the London importers desire the home of the New Zealand trade to be kept lat the Albert Docks, and not at the South- West India Dock. The 'difference between the two is 'very great. By discharging at the South-West India Dgck the necessity for barging could be done away with. Further, the cartage of produce to badly-situated up-town stores could also be done away with. Naturally, enough, the 'London men 'desire • to _ hold the trade for their badly-situated up-town stores. The Port of London . Authority has been induced <*3 depart. . from its .original promises, and do something else, that ' is unsuitable, and which* will in no Way relieve our trade of the worst blot on the system— that is connected with barging and carting. . A DRASTIC REMEDY. "It seems to me," Mr. Lysnar continued, "there is only one course and that is t**leave London and go, to the West of England ports, where there are excellent facilities for handling our produce. , Take Avonmouth (Bristol) : the official figures show that we can deliver produce at the Smithfield markets cheaper than at the Port of London. We can also do the work quicker ,and cleaner. But to make such a change the matter will have to be dealt with by the producers themselves. DEALERS AND AGENTS. "Experience has shown that We can expect no practicable aid from the dealers and the agents who are handling our produce at the other end. The more hands the produce has to go through' the better for the dealer and the worse for the producer. lam not at liberty at this juncture to say all I could say, nor will I be in that position until the whole matter has been considered by the New Zealand Producers' Association." ONE SINGLE COURSE. "I can say," he proceeded, "that to my mind there is one course and one only^ and I believe that, when the position is fully explained to the producers they will rally to the support of a proposal which will shortly be placed before them in concrete form. "You don't J feel disposed to explain what the proposal is?" out reporter asked. "No/ Mr. Lysnar answered, "not .at the present time. I predict that if what is proposed receives the endorsement of the producers they will never have" cause to regret it." DIRECT CONSIGNMENT— NO' ' BARGES. . The next question , put to Mr. Lysnar | Was one concerning^ the elimination of j barges. "That," he replied, "is a matter- which the Producers' Association have been considering for eorno considerable time. We desire to eliminate bargeing altogether. If the South- West India . Dock proposals had been carried out the necessity for bargeing would have disappeared. The best authority 1 could quote on the point is a firm wliich employs 500 carts in handling frozen ; produce from the port of London, who i said that they could cart from the 1 South-West India Docks to the markets as easily as they could from the port of London. Of .course, the London importers have ueed their influence to bar a proposal which the carters co strongly recommend. " "How do you account for this—what is the reason?" he was asked. "The reason is very apparent. If the proposal were carried out the necessity for up-town stores would no longer continue. At present you cannot rail meat from the London docks to Smithfield or the up-town stores. It has either to be barged or carted. Barging takes eight hours and carting three hours. If the meat were discharged at Bristol we could send it direct by rail to Smithfield. There are facilities to-day for handling as many as 160 trucks, of meat at a time." AVERAGES. . The matter of "averages" has always been a vexed question with producers. On this point, Mr. Lysnar said to our representative :—" The present system of grading is irregular. What is''required is a uniformity of the system of grading all over the Dominion. At present each freezing .works makes ite own system ,of grading. I actually came across a, number of cases at Home where second grade meat was unquestionably of better quality than _ that , sold as first grade. Ido not think wo can., hope for any solution Of the difficulty until there is Government grading, On that point I may say I am strongly in favour of the suggestion. Still, lam quite aware that the trado strongly opposes AUCTION SALES. A suggestion that the meat should be auctioned under the control of the Government on the Home markets did not meet with Mr. Lysnar's approval. " I hardly think," he said, "that it would be either prudent or essential. A great margin exists between the wholesale price of New Zealand meat and the English^ product. The difference c-m best be made tip by co-operation amongst the producers themselves. At present there is absolutely no co-operation on the Smithfield market to maintain prices. Rapid fluctuations occur, and prices are really fixed by the weakest holder and not by v/hat tho strongest salesman thinks they should be. The present system is purely and simply one of undercutting. It id always easier to transact business by selling at a little under the day's value. What the producers require is this : That their produce shall be controlled in one strong hand with the sole object ofjobtaining-from the retailer full, value,, regardless of the -interXesence of the speculator," As an instance- of the difference in prices, Mr. Lysnar quoted Scotch mutton selling last year at s^d per 18, while New f Zealand hmb — I an' infinitely superior article— v%-as selling at 4gd. ( "There is nothing," he said, "to justify this great gulf- except the lack of control by the producers at this end," INSURANCES. • I Another vexed question with shippers iis that of insurance against damage. It 1 lias not infrequently been suggested that some flagrant "ramps" have been perpetuated. Mr, 'Lysnar. is firmly of*

opinion that if our meat can be disposed of", without bargeing and carting, the necessity for paying heavy premiums will disappear. "Indeed,' he said, "I will say this : that if the proposals which will shortly be placed before the Producers' Association in' New Zealand are 'adopted the necessity for 'partial "damage' insurance will also disappear, ian'd the* producer' will be' sufficiently protected by taking out a policy for total loss."