NEW ZEALAND MEAT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 January 1925, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND MEAT

DISPLAYS AT HOME

VALUABLE ADVERTISING

One of the matters which Mr D. Jones, chairman ,of the New Zealan Meat Producers’ Board, spetia y vestigated when he was m England recently was the question of advertising New Zealand meat. This mattei was also discussed at the annual meeting of delegates to elect the boaid, which was held in August last. M • Jones has now prepared a repoit to the board on this subject, which reads as follows: i . “In advertising there are tyo classes of people we want to reach re butcher who sells our goods and the consumer. Our meat requires no a - vertising amongst the butchers New Zealand mutton and lamb stands m a class bv itself. It is in the meat trade what the Rolls-Royce is amongst motor-cars, and the butcher will give preference to our mutton and lamb •ill the time, other things being equal. The best illustration of how the butehei values our meat as an advertisement is that I have not' seen (and in hiany towns in England I have watched tor it) any other imported frozen meat marked up in a butcher’s shop with the country of origin stated, except New Zealand. In almost every case, when the butcher is selling New Zealand mutton and lamb he puts the fact uii iu large letters—it is the recognised hall mark of quality “My opinion is that ne article' or food in England gets the amount of free advertising in the right place as is given to New Zealand Canterbury lamb. In the month’s menus of the Daily Mail, with a circulation of 1,800,000 copies, there appeared on October 1, 1924, the following under meat: Beef, mutton, pork, veal, venison, New Zealand lamb. Sitting down to dinner .on the American liner the first night’s chief joint was ‘Canterbury lamb,’ and the following night ‘Welsh "lamb.’, Such advertisements, won bv sheer merit, are invaluable. “In‘entering upon a. big advertising campaign it is essential that the purchaser can identify the article advertised. When meat is cut up into joints, chops, etc., it loses its identity unless it bears a brand (and for many reasons it is not considered advisable to disfigure our meat with brands. The main point with the consumer is not whether it is New Zealand, Australian, Argentine, or English meat, but is it a first-class article that eats well, and brings the purchaser hack to the butcher, not to growl., but to ask for the same article again.

“Newspaper .advertising in Great Britain is exceedingly expensive, and I am convinced we could spend many thousands a year of the producers’ l hard-earned money without getting value for the expenditure. This, of course, does not suggest dispensing with advertising. We should continue sending out the single carcases of lamb for 33s to any part of Britain. The acknowledgments coming in prove that this system is carrying the quality of our lamb into an ever-widening field, and creating a demand in many places where it was previously unknown. . “Last season our London representative, Mr.- Forsyth, arranged for displays of lamb (specially picked in New Zealand for the purpose) in several of the leading shops • in London. Tlie butchers were keen to get. the displays as {Oil advertisement, and the Dominion reaped the advantage. I am convinced that these displays are one of the most valuable advertising mediums that we possess, and can be carried through at a small cost. I would suggest that we advise freezing works and A. and P. shows that the board is prepared to arrange London displays of 'picked carcases, passed by tlie board’s supervising graders. The meat would require to be sold to the shops at a moderate price, not above fair average price of the day, the'London office to fix such j>rice, and take into consideration that the factory or the Dominion is obtaining a advertisement.”

AN INCREASED DEMAND. PRICE FLUCTUATIONS. From inquiries made recently by a London Morning Post representative, it appears that there is not a great discrepancy between the price if New Zealand meat bought on the hoof in New Zealand and sold retail in Ci’eat Britain. The subject is topical, h"' in view of the inquiry by the British allegation that the New Zealand Meat Board has been manipulating the wholesale prices of its meat in Eng land.

Mr. R. S. Forsyth, London manager of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, said in an interview: “New Zealand, commences to send lamb to this country in December each year, and the supply continues until October, dwindling away practically* to nothing in November, and recommencing in December, after the lambing season in New Zealand. The shipments for the •ast twelve months have been : Carcases. December 200,000 January 484,000 February 667,000 March 690,000 April 472.000 May 7 591,000 June 407,000 July 625,000 August 211,000 September 120,000 October 44.000

“At the end of last month there were merely 1445 carcases of lamb left in cold storage in New Zealand. These figures show, obviously enough, that supplies have been shipped as they became available.” Dealing with the complaint that the British retail public has to pay unduly high prices for New Zealand meat, and that "the big profits go To the middlemen in Great Britain, Mr. Forsyth quoted figures showing that the difference'in wholesale and retail prices was not abnormal. Taking an average, he stated that the New Zealand meat growers received 6ijd per lb for prime wether mutto onand IOJd per lb for prime lamb on the hoof in New Zon'rinrl. The exporter who purchased the lambs® and sheep had to hear the cost of the slaughtering, freezing, and freight. The average price which they ’•eeeived nr, Smithfield for the meat was 7ld per lb for the mutton and lid for- the lamb. He explained that retail prices for the meat varied in fliffe-ent districts, hut West End prices averaged about Is 3d per lb. The retailers had to transport the meat frorrt--Brqithfield. cut it up, sell the neck and scrags at a low r price, keep it stored in a refrigerator, deliver orders to the suburbs, and extend credit. On the whole, retailers added from 20 to 27 per cent on the wholesale price—a '■harare which was not considered abnormallv excessive. My. F'orsvth added that this year ■'■here had l>een a substantial i’mrea.* - '' in the demand for New Zealand lamb and mutton. He considered that there

were several causes, nota.blv the effect of the Wembley Exhibition and th« recent intensive campaign on behalf of Dominion products. At the end of December last the Meat Board carried 50,000 carcases forward to January; hut these had since been disposed of, and every shipment received since been sold at once. He did not anticipate that there would be much fluctuation in the price henceforth, as no change could he foreseen in exist conditions.