PRODUCE & MARKET REPORTS FROM DAY TO DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 28, 2 August 1934, Page 14

PRODUCE & MARKET REPORTS FROM DAY TO DAY

TRADE WITH SCOTLAND

DIRECT SHIPMENTS

ROOM FOR EXPANSION

"Evening Post," August 2. Special attention to Scotland's trade with the Empire is paid by the "Glasgow Herald" with a section devoted to New Zealand. Mr. Harold M. Ford, commercial manager of the Clyde Navigation Trust, in an article on "Glasgow as a Marketing Centre," acknowledges the foresight displayed by the High Commissioner fo^r New Zealand (Sir James Parr) and the New

Zealand Meat and Dairy Boards in recog--1 nising the necessity for decentralising the marketing of New Zealand products. New Zealand began on June 2 a shopping display in Glasgow of meat, dairy produce, •and fruit. It was to have lasted for three weeks, and Sir James Parr made an appeal to Scotland, through the "Glasgow Herald," for greater development of trade to the mutual advantage of both countries. He writes: "New Zealand is placing -with Scotland what orders she can— with her diminished purchasing power. In the past few years, for instance, the building of shipa for the New Zealand trade has given employment to large numbers of men in the Clyde shipyards. I ask for the greatest measure of reciprocity for our products, for the purchase by your house--1 wives of, New Zealand butter, cheese, lamb, 'apples, and honey." ■" Mr. Ford refers to the fact that last 1 year -witnessed a record programme of shipping to Glasgow from New Zealand, bringing with it a further record or imports, the companies participating being principally the Federal Steamship Company, the New Zealand Shipping Company, Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company, and the Commonwealth and Dominion Line. WANT OF DIRECT CONTACTS. Despite the fact that Glasgow's butter imports have been built up in the last six •years from approximately 1800 tons to ■nearly 8000 tons last year, states Mr. Ford foreign imports of .Continental butter into Leith for Scottish consumption totalled over 30,000 tons. This was an increase of 2000 tons over the previous year, inotwithstanding the introduction of tariffs' following on the Ottawa Agreements. These figures alone are sufficient testi"mony, he adds, as to the opportunities both New, Zealand and Australian dairy industries have in our markets. - "Satisfactory as New Zealand's progress has been in the past few years, there is 'still'a wide field to be developed. Here in Glasgow we have merchants anxious and ready to participate in her trade in 'meat, dairy produce, and fruit, but upon whose behalf, up to the present, all efforts •to open up direct trading relations wath New Zealand producing interests have 'failed. The result -is that they are either debarred from participating; compelled to ■restrict their operations, acting as sub■agents of a London house; or to purchase their supplies second-hand from that mar■ket. This naturally results in the foreign 'producer enjoying an immense advantage by establishing with the same traders ■ direct contact and supplying them with ■direct supplies. In the interests of New Zealand exporters the desirability cannot be urged too strongly of early, contact being' established with a view to new trade being opened up. THE FRUIT MARKET. "New Zealand's fruit industry has un- ' fortunately not made the same progress •as her other industries, due to a variety (of reasons. One can only remind her producers and her Fruit Board that here in Glasgow we have the third largest market in the Kingdom dealing with rnorth American* fruit, and there has been built up in Australian apples an import of over a quarter-million cases last year from nothing four years ago, irrespective of the sales of large quantities of fruit railed from. London to relieve the glutted condi 'tion of her markets." ' Actually, based on last years returns, Mr Ford says that New Zealand stands practically where she did six years ago on Scottish markets. Those who operate on the Glasgow fruit market are keen to see New Zealand fruit established side by side 'with'that of Australia, and are confident in their conviction that, as with Australia their market will, return, prices com- • parable with 'and invariably better than •those of other markets. ;■■ With the growtn 'in shipping facilities between New Zea■land and Glasgow, and the co-operation •of all concerned in regard to the a'loca'tiona of space, he concludes, there should be but little difficulty in New Zealand ■fruit interests making a determined effort .on a market whose traders are so keen to .assist. . . ■ ■