ENGLISH PRODUCE NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 9153, 7 June 1893, Page 4

ENGLISH PRODUCE NOTES.

[From Our Speoiat'Cobeespondest.]

London, April 21. The -exporters of apples from New Zealand, and Tasmania appear to be quite aa incorrigible atfd as blind to their own interests as are some of their compatriots who dabble in the dairy produce trade. The sharp lesson of one season seems to die out of their minds ere another comes along, and they carry on the same old game of sending stuff which experience shduld have taught them is not suited to the requirements of the Home market on the " off chance " that it may sell at a price to give them a profit. However, so far aa New Zealand *i» concerned, the fruit trade is the merest bantling at present (some folk inoline to doubt its future), so one may hope to do much good by a little seasonable fault-finding combined withamodioumof advice andsuggestion. Now, with regard to the first of this season'« shipments. TheAorangilandedherl,2ooca3es some ten days back, and Iliad prepared some notes thereon for the San Francisco mail, but the information then to hand was by no means as full as could be desired. Writiug with a fuller knowledge, I cannot join with certain Pressmen in "congratulating the f>roduoers of New Zealand on their luok " in laving their goods landed in "excellent condition." The very nature of much of the fruit shipped prevented such a high standard of condition being a fact when the goods were unloaded here. Lack of care in selecting the varieties for export was abundantly evident, as was carelessness in sorting and packing. Moreover, the presence of a large quantity of immature fruit was disclosed by the wilted appearance of the contents of many cases. Under the most favorable conditions in transit the Aorangi's consignment could not have come to hand in " excellent" condition —at least not according to my notion of excellent; and no one can say that the fruit sent by this boat was treated tn routt in the manner most to be desired. Ido not blame the shipping company, however, for the poor prices obtained by much of the fruit. The carriage of this class of cargo has yet to be understood ; at present we are not beyond the experimental stage. To find the best temperature adapted to the safe carriage of apples and kindred fruits is a problem it will pay well to solve, and the quickest and surest method of solution is not present —I mean the " dairy expert" advocated by Mr Perceval. Pressmen and other occasional visitors to the docks may do a certain amount of work in the right direction, but most of such folk lack technical knowledge of some particular side of the trade, and, though I have always been treated well by otlicers of vessels when I have been able to take a trip down to the docks to inspect cargo, etc. (connection with "the Press" counts for something even in these days), the presence of unauthorised persons during the breaking of cargo is not alvvays appreciated, to say the least of it. Besides," an occasional trip is of little value. To get to the bottom of things one must see every shipment, whether of butter, cheese, or fruit, on arrival ; note the condition of the chambers on opening, have access to the log book in which the daily record of temperature is kept, and be aide to test the condition of the goods before new atmospheric influences have had time to effect changes and after. The knowledge of these things and a ho.-t of other small, but nevertheless important, details cm alone give one the necessary facts where from to make accurate deductions. To obtain such data is beyond the power of journalists with other things to attend to. It is, indeed, sufficient work for an energetic man to employ his whole time. To bay more on this head will be to repeat what I put forward when the appointment of an "expert'' was first mooted.

To return to the apple.--. The first point to be considered is that of carriage. Ah I have said, the very important point of temperature is still a matter for conjecture, hut undoubtedly the Aorangi's fruit had been subjected to fai more cold blast than was good for it. Many of the eases, indeed, were covered with snow, and their contents absolutely frozen. These boxes, of course, were carried in juxtaposition with the cold air " trunks." Fruit so frozen will not keep forty-eight hours on exposure to ordinary spring-time temperature, though if taken out of the cases, wiped, and repacked they would keep for a week perhaps, but even then the ilavor of the fruit sutlers greatly—the "life, I '' so to speak, has gone out of it. In some instances the ell'ect of the frost was to spoil the whole contents of a ease; but such total losses may be partly laid to the fruit itself being of the soft, turnipy description. It is throwing money into the gutter to send such varieties, for no matter what pains are lavished on the fruit en route they will not stand the voyage. As a whole, instead of being in " excellent condition,'' the cargo was but very moderate in this respect. When auctioned'oil" at Covent Warden the apples fetched very varying prices, some cases realising as much as 10s, whilst others were disposed of at 4s, and even less. For future guidance I give a few of the best prices obtained :- -Ribstons 14s, Emperor Alexander his, Ohineiuura 15s (id, Cox's Oange Pips 12s (id, Cleopatra 12s (id, Royal Permain 14s per ease. As a set-oil' against these rates per case, I may mention that the average price, roughly speaking, was a few pence below 7*Sueli a price, of course, must make a dead loss for exporters unless the calculations made hereunder are wrong. Say the contents of a case average 441b, and the price per pound in New Zealand is : j'd, or L's !)d per case (I am told Id is a fairer estimate). Well, put packing and box down at Is per case, freight and primage at say is (id, raigning at this end at 3d, cost of advertising, agent's charges, and other incidentals also Is, and we have a total cost per case to exporter of its .'id I Taking the average cost at its, and the average selling price at 7s, the loss oa the 1,200 cases sent by the Aorangi comc-s to £l2O. Plainly, then, this trade cannot pay New Zealand except it be carried on in the most approved method, and very considerable reductions arc made in freight. Exporters must take pains to select the very best fruits, exercise great caution in packing, and unite with their brethren of the dairy produce trade in endeavoring to obtain a very substantial reduction of freight. At present the cost of carriage runs to over £lO per ton of fruit. If cooperation between exporters existed to the extent of their agreeing upon shipping their fruit by certain vessels, I think that figure could be reduced 50 per cent., and if they would also agree to employ but two agents to sell at this end the cost of sale might also be lessened. I say two agents advisedly, for a little competition or rivalry is good for everything ami everybody. For a few exporters to consign a few tons of fruit to half a dozen different salesmen is not desirable, for the commission each man makes out of his small lot is too insignificant to put him on his mettle.

The retailing of their apples may be of interest to New Zealanders. I have seen in various places portions of the Aorangi's cargo exposed for sale. In the City you can buy tliein at Id and lid each, and at 4d and (id per lb. From the latter rate there would seem to be a very substantial margin of profit to the retailer; but it must be borne in mind that only the best of the fruit in each case can be exposed for sale at that figure. Suppose, for instance, a retail fruiterer bought ten eases of apples at an average of 10s. Out of these he would probably only get 3oolb of thoroughly sound fruit, which could bo sold at, say, an average of od per lb, or £1 3s. Porterage from market and other incidentals would probably cost 10s, so that I'll l")s may be taken as the full cash amount he will receive in return for the Co spent. As the fruiterer lias to pay the auctioneer " on the nail," and only gets his money back in driblets, his profit is not very large. Several hew Zealaiulers who were over here last year advocated the abolishment of the auctioneer, and favored the idea of bringing exporters (or exporters' agents) in direct contact with the retailer. One firm tried to work on this plan, but after spending much time in "beating up" retailers found that it was much cheaper to employ an auctioneer. To buy what they want at auction has been the fruiterers' method for years, and unless they can get their goods much cheaper in doing so they will not depart from their custom.

Mr Archibald, who will be remembered by reason of having toured in the colony in

company with an Edison phonograph, has recently arrived Home from India, whither he went on behalf, of Messrs Nelson to gauge the possibilities of opening up a trade in frozen: mutton in Calcutta, Bombay, and elsewherp. It may seem odd to some people that should send sucbM maun as Professor Arch I professor of geology) matter )J&".t the li fridicL and knew*the right quarters to jjp] to 6jK information. After exhaustive inquiries M*v Archibald came to jthe conclusion thit India offered no field for the consumption of frozen mutton. At Calcutta he found the local supply to be good—fully up to the demand—and cheap, and though at Bombay the supply was not so good, the proportion of Natives consuming flesh was considerably less than in the of' Dreadful Night.'• Having satisfied liiinself of t-he futility of attempting to open up a trade in frozen meat in these and other centres, Professor. Archibald tackled the question of supplying the troops at different places; but with no more ftrospect of success, The diffloulty of transit rom the ooast and the cheapness of local supply (in many places a sheep can be bought for a rupee) effectually blocked an opening in this direction. The result of his mission, though disappointing, was not, I believe, unexpected by Messrs Nelson. This enterf irising firm intends now to try and find a resh outlet for frozen mutton in the cities of North Franoe.