MARKETING OF FROZEN MEAT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 31 January 1912, Page 6

MARKETING OF FROZEN MEAT.

We have received from Mr Newton King an abstract from a paper read in London, by Major Norton, D.5.0., a director of R. and W. Davidson and Co., Ltd. We give some extracts, which we "trust may be of interest to farmers and others interested. MAJOR NORTON'S PAPER. I venture to put these suggestions before you as a result of several years of very cai'eful and unbiassed observation "at both ends of the great.frozen produce industry, viz., in' Australia and New Zealand, and in the United KingAs a result, not only of my own observation, but also of actual practical experience, I have come to the conclusion that there are faults at both ends. With your kind permission I will commence at the source, confining myself ■chiefly to Australia, and eventually taking each of the principal lines seriatim. I wish at the outset to emphasise the fact that the arguments I adduce are merely suggestions as to the better methods of marketing frozen produce, methods that were suitable to the frozen produce industry twenty years ago, when ii was in its infancy, having become more or less obsolete now that it has reached the adult period. The Australian producer needs to realise to' the full extent two important facts, _viz. 4 the necessity of (1) giving to the iftfifKets of the world what they require, rather than what they themselves thinK is .good enough, and (2) the continuity of supplies. The Australian producers are continually having served up to them reports written by various gentlemen wlio nave visited England for a few months, during which time they have made it their business to inquire into the methods of marketing Australian produce in the United Kingdom. I have read many such reports, and in sonic instances to my personal knowledge the authors have arrived at the conclusions set forth as a result of one visit to the Smithfield Market, and probably a walk through Covenl Garden, half an hour in Tooley streetj and a chat with a friend who may or may not have visited some of the oliher important ports in the United Kingdom. The impression left on one's mind after reading such reports as I refer to is that there is a lot of improvement needed this side, but seldom is it even hinted that there, after all, may be faults on both sides. ' '„ Aiiother most important point that is so. often called attention to by critics -'era the other side regarding the system of marketing in England is that so much of the frozen and chilled produce shipped to England from either Australia or New .Zealand is not sold as from the "country of origin." Personally, I am not at all sure that the time is ripe , for this to obtain in regard to some of the lines exported; I mean, of course, in the interest of the shippers, but allowing that it- is, who is to blame? Necessarily, I take it, it is the business of the trader in the United Kingdom to buy at as low a figure as possible, and to sell . to the best advantage to himself, and onless the public demand that it should be otherwise, it might suit his purpose to'_sell, say, Australian or New Zealand butter as coming from some other country, although I do not say he does do «o. What have the Australian producers done to ensure that the excellence of their butter, for instance, is being brought prominently before the British public? Certainly I am aware that the Commonwealth and State Governments - bave done excellent work in advertising Australian produce generally, by exhibiting at trade shows, lectures, etc., all of which, I maintain, are splendid means of bringing such lines as fruit, wine, boney, and canned goods before the no- • tsjoe of the consume!', particularly if such steps are correctly followed up: In regard to butterj however, I consider the time is absolutely ripe when a far ', more comprehensive system of advertising should be adopted, and, I also think that at Jeast half of the entire s cost .should be borne by the producers* most directly benefited. , Now for a few of the faults that ob- ; tain on this side, and suggestions for rec- , tifying them. I am of opinion that far " too large a proportion of the Colonial : produce sent to this country is centred in London, and that, as a consequence, the best net returns do not reach the producers. In this connection I refer in particular to frozen meat and fresh fruit. \ With regard to these two lines of produce, I am convinced in my own mind, after years of careful investigation and actual experience, that a more even distribution to other ports in the United Kingdom would result in a better net return to the shipper. While I do hot hold a brief for any particular port, I maintain that with mutton and lamb, : where the1 minimum of handling is such __ an essential feature, there are ports .offering far greater facilities in this direction than London that should receive direct shipments to a far greater '•extent than at present obtains. Time will not permit of my dealing with this question as fully as I should like, but with regard to lamb and mutton, I am '.' prepared to back this argument right up ; - to the hilt, both from figures that I possess and ray own actual experience. r In London we have practically the maximum of handling, and what must ;• necessarily follow, the maximum amount of damage. Hull, Avonmouth, and Manchester offer unique facilities and the lowest.scale of charges. Consequent upon the excessive claims that have bevn made on the underwriters for damage, : the insurance rates have increased ibout 50 per cent, dui-ing the last four yours. At the present time a large proportion, of the mutton and lamb that comes into London is eventually consumed in the ]arge manufacturing and colliery centres north of Birmingham, and from - their geographical position it appears to me that it is only reasonable to be- . lieve that these important centres cculd be more economically served from either \ of the northern ports than lcn- - don, and that in addition the meat would be put before the pablic in a much brighter condition. '! he Midlands and the thickly populated centres in South Wales and the "We.st c f England could in their turn be better- se:v<?,d from one of the natural ports for the district. By adopting this more even distribution of tin- frozen 'neat slnpnxjnts the minimum of handling vculd ' ]>c obtained; considerable iedueH-m in insurance rates should, follow, aik! a ■ great- savin" would be 'effected in dt.ck and store charges and railway fii'isihts. As regards butter, for the time being. Jit any rate, I do not see that any ulti- ., mate advantage is to be gamed by shipping other than direct to London, what- •■; ever may happen later, when shipping facilities increase. Rapid delivery is the essential feature in regard to this com- . modity, and the extra charges incurred by distributing from London are more than compensated for by the higher prices obtainable consequent upon obtaining delivery at tb.e earliest moment. While it saying that the less hand:ing any commodity receives the better it i>. the question of band-

lins; doi-s not ber'omo a lending fi>;vhire :V"ith butter as with frozen nnitton ami .lamb, and. ivrain. the proportion of Aiip-?rnlb-n and 'New ZMhmcl butter consumed in thf North of En^Uv.ul is not to \h> compared with that of U-nzen meat. lam of opinion that the prices-of ■'.Australian and New Zealand butter could be much better regulated and controlled if the whole output were consigned. I fuliy realise that it is vorv tempting to the'shipper to sell outright wlkmi prices such as we sometimes hear of are

offered, but I still maintain that the shipper of frozen produce, no matter what it is, who consistently consigns over a series of years is the best off in the long- run, and his position would be even oetter if everyone adopted that principle. ; ' , -