PRIMARY PRODUCE MARKETING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 November 1928, Page 4

PRIMARY PRODUCE MARKETING

WEST OF ENGLAND TRADE, AN EXPERT’S VIEWS. For many years the question of trading direct with the west and) north-west counties of England in dairy produce has been discussed by the. leaders' in the industry with a view to securing direct touch with the populous markets of that area. Thougn a certain amount ol produce Ims been sent direct, the bulk oi tne supo’y has gone through London, with tl'ie added handicap of the extra costs of transhipment and railage and two. handlings. The question was fully discussed; at a meeting of the Taranaki Federation of Dairy Factories on Wednesday v when there was present Captain W. J. Wade, of the Port Manchester Canal Company, who gave a review of the whole position, stating inter alia that at least 90 per cent, of New Zealand's exports for the Homeland enter __ the Port of London and a large quantity was then fated to the added cost of overland conveyance, handling and storage en route to the northern English and Scottish consumers. Regular monthly shipments, to Port Manchester of amounts balancing the quantity at present customary he'd to be absorbed iu the north. The federation executive was unanimous that it was in the companies’ own interests to ship larger quantities to the West Coast- of England direct. In order to bring that scheme into operation it was agreed that Messrs T. A. Winks (chairman) and J. R. Corrigan as members should', bring pressure to bear upon the Dairy Octroi Board. Captain Wade adtr*u that, comparing the charges at ports of arrival in England it was found that the western ports were the cheapest. The total charges at these ports had been : London, 7s 2Jd per cwt; Bristol, 5s 6d; Liverpool, 5s lid; Glasgow 6s; Manchester, 6s. The nett returns per hundred weight had been: London. Isls 9d; Bristol, 154 s 4kl; Glasgow, 152 s 7£d; Liverpool, 153 s Bjd; Port Manchester, 153 9^dExports of dairy produce last year were shipped as follows : London, 2,202,691 boxes of butter; Bristol, 78,680; Liverpool, 59,032; Port Manchester, 34,491; Glasgow, 66,962. Referring to European supplies, he said'that this all came to London, and actually the fact that they represented all but about 20 per cent of the total imports was responsible largely for the higher price realised by the Danish produce. It was not at all likely that the market would 1 be flooded by extra production, and New Zealand’s policy should! be one of gradually displacing the European supply by means of the shipments through a more direct route. It was not right, he said, that New Zealand, after trading nearly 30 years to England, should not be: able to secure the bulk of the business in the west and north-west counties. He considered! the main factor wasi the extra cost incurred through transhipping through London. It was necessary to give men who handled New Zealand produce in the west more inducement to push that trade as against the foreigner, and this could he clone only by offering better terms for handling. In addition, he said, there: was ample scope for a. steamer direct from New Zealand to. Manchester or other western port once: a month at least, and by this means large savings l in expenses could he effected. Referring to New Zealand) lamb, mutton and pork, Captain Wade said there was a chance: of obtaining ai big hold oil the western markets and 1 securing better prices, and this on pork amounted to no less than Jd) to Lid per lb more, than London. The scheme, it was agreed, offered very great possibilities.