REACHING CONSUMER

Grey River Argus, 4 August 1937, Page 6

REACHING CONSUMER

N.Z. PRODUCE Obstacles in Britain [Per Press Association] WELLINGTON, August 2. The high reputation enjoyed by New Zealand produce on the British market was emphasised by the Prime Minister (Hon. M. J. Savage) in an interview to-night. “New Zealand has no reason to apologise to anyone for the quality of its produce,” said Mr Savage., “Farmers are entitled to some praise for that happy state of affairs.” Asked if he had had an opportunity during his visit to the Old Country of seeing something of the marketing of New Zealand produce, Mr Savage said he had visited Smithfield to see how New Zealand meat was handled. The Minister for Marketing (Hon. W. Nash) has been in touch with Tooley Street. However he had met some Tooley Street people, and the general impression he gathered from them and other sources in London was that New Zealand was gaining ground by rea-i son of its marketing methods. Those responsible for the marketing of New| Zealand produce appeared to be making a huge success of the job. Mr Savage said it appeared to him that there was scope for wider distribution of New Zealand produce on the markets of the United Kingdom by regular shipments to a greater number of ports than at present. The bulk of New Zelaand produce seemed to go through London. That was not very satisfactory from the point of view of the provinces. - For.that reason he had paid a visit to Hull, where he met representatives of the trading and commercial community. These people point•ed out that a city like Bradford, which was a comparatively little way inland from Hull, had to obtain its supplies of New Zealand produce through London. Their argument was that, they should be able to draw their supplies from shipments to Hull. Incidentally, people he met at Hull classified New Zealand butter as the best on the British market. He realised that a certain amount had been done by shipments to such places as Liverpool and Newcastle, but tnere appeared to be a desire for regular and direct shipments to other parts of England.

Mr Savage said he was also convinced that more had to be done by way of better advertising of New Zealand produce than in the past. By advertising he did not mean putting up posters. He meant having someone on the job who knew. New Zealand conditions, and how New Zealand

produce was produced, one who was familial’ with the various stages through which New Zealand produce passed, from the production of raw material on the farms of the Dominion to the distribution of the finished commodity to the British consumer. If the authortiies were able to do anything by way of films, or lectures or by both, then it was their bounden duty to do so.