NEW PRODUCE MARKETS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18235, 31 October 1922, Page 5

NEW PRODUCE MARKETS

m 1 WEST OF ENGLAND PORTS. 5 CAEDIFF AND LIVERPOOL. i i, [ GREAT" DISTEIBTTTTNG CENTRES. t Interesting information relating to the i prospects of developing direct {jade in J New Zealand produce -with the West of r England ports in famished in a letter . from the Herald's London correspondent. r He says:—Cardiff, with its population of 1 10,000,000 within a radius of 90 miles, is s j still vary keen to receive direct shipments j | from N#w Zealand, and the development I j department of the city cafla attention to II the ia.cz that its port, is nearer New Zea- • ] land than iff any other British peri. The " j huge surrounding population—2,ooo,ooo j I within a radius of 30 miles —is engaged j | almost entirely in industrial pursuits, and j j consequently it relies very largely upon i | imported foodstuffs for its sustenance. The 5 j demand in. Cardiff always erceeds the ? i supply, and there is always a good market * j for meat, dairy produce, fruit, and other , I food product.". The local authorities ' ; write to me that large quantities of Naw ' ! Zealand produce are consumed in the area 1 j controlled by Cardiff, and at present these j are received via London, where delays frequently occur, while extra railage, deI morrage, and costly handling charges in i London are added to the price, with the ! j result the consumer has to pay mora ' } for an inferior article. Cardiff is very ! | keen to develop a direct import trade ■ j with New Zealand, and the anticipated re- ! suit is that the consumer will benefit ccnj siderably, while better prices will be obI tained than when the gooda are sent to | another port. The local feeling is dei cidediy in favour of Dominion products ias compared; with those from, foreign j countries. Proposed Seduced Charges. j Colonel T. H. Hawkins, C.M.G., j assistant-general manager of the Mersey ! Docks and Harbour Board, has left for ] New Zealand on an official visit, to let the producers of the Dominion know of the facilities of his port for the handling and distribution of produce, for LiverpxJl another great and populous cemue which wants to develop direct trade Subject to the approval of the Ministry of Transport, it is intended to make sub- ! stantial reductions on rates and dues on ships and goods at the port, the following inward foreign dock rates and town dues on the articles mentioned to be charged, vix.:— Proposed Present, new rate. rate. _ a. d. s. r}_ "Wool, ton 3 6 6 0 Wheat, ton 19 2 0 Maixe. ton ... ... 1 3 2 0 Meat, ton ... ... 3 10 4 i Bacon and asms, ton 3 6 i 0 At xke beginning of last year the basic i rates went up, and showed an increase jof 320 per cent.; they have since fallen ! to 185 per cent., and from the beginning ! of October they will be down about lot) | per cent. The higher charges were due entirely to wage increase, dock labourers being paid four times pre-war rates, but as wages decrease so the charges come down. The Mersey Docks and Hgrbuar Board, established *in 1850, is pnreiv a public trust: by its Acts of Parliament. it is not a profit-making concern. Any J profits that accrue go to th» redaction j of charges and to the bettering cf the j facilities. Toe Acts of Parliament do j pot: even allow the board to build up a ! big reserv« fund. Seme Points of Heta. | Colonel Hawkins, who sailed a few days j ago by the Anchises. for Australia—whose i engineers, by the way, include Miss Dnimmond, the pioneer lady in this | capacity—will have many useful points I U> bring before New Zealand producers j and shippers regarding the numerous | advantages claimed by Liverpool as a j centre where every kind of produce can i be stored, handled, aud absorbed. This J makes it possible for any one shin to unload an entire general cargo. The great point to be borne in mind is that shipment* ishouid be dispatched from New Zealand and arrive with das regularity. Not long ago several snips arrived within a short interval, resulting in a Sooded market. This catastrophe must be avoided if a successful business j » *°, be built up. At the start, Liverpool could readily absorb and distribute a full ship once a. fortnight during 2Cew Zealand's busy export sea*on; in its off season a fall ship- once a month would suffice. The point is that it is little use j for local traders to announce that they , ■ can seil New Zealand meat, butter, I cheese, honey, and so on, if they cannot be ensured of a regularity of supply. A i Liverpool grocer, for instance, will" not j j handle _ New Zealand butter and recent- j I mend it to his customers if he has to ) i send to London to keep his supplies re- ! I newed and be at the* expense of the j heavy rail charges. In the North there is j ■ a very big demand for butter and tfkeege, j and the exports of Canadian chee&e to j this country have fallen very consider- I ably, until the question seems likely to arise, is any at "all to come from'that i country _and the United States, where I the supply is required for home consume- j tion. As a consequence, the oounfcrv Is looking chiefly to- Denmark whence 'sup- i plies come with unfailing regularity and j l dominate the market, and until traders i j can get some guarant.ee af regular shirt- j j tnente from New Zealand they are not | ; eager to handle the produce. I Sew Zealand must decide as to the j i advantages or otherwise of following up I ! Colonel Haw-kin's suggestions, concludes I | the Hxbald correspondent. It is verv I j evident that the initial move mast come i i from the Dominion, and the authorities ! j emphasise regularity of dispatch as of j ] the most vital importance. From Janu- j | ary -3 to August 19. this year, 12 liners '• l arrived at Liverpool from. New Zealand, I j and thorn went on Ur other ports. Two j i came from New Zealand via Australia, and 66 went from Australia direct-, also ! bo and for other ports. j