EMPIRE MARKETING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20842, 8 April 1931, Page 5

EMPIRE MARKETING.

A PAGE FROM THE PAST. PIONEER PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. MR. 11. C. CAMERON'S VENTURE. [I'ltUM Ol lt OWN Comtr.M'ONDENT. ] LONDON, March 6. All who were associated with the recent Empire Marketing Board shop at Birmingham have been enthusiastic regarding its success. New Zealand had tlie tenancy for a fortnight, during part of which time the Birmingham section of the British Industries Trade Fair was in progress. This meant that innumerable visitors from many countries were interested in the shop and its varied contents.

The New Zealand display in the spacious premises was one of the best ever got together, and the sales of samples proved very gratifying, in the opinion of the High Commissioner's publicity department and of the various New Zealand produce boards—Meat, Butter and Iloney. In addition to the sale of nearly 30,000 samples, there were numerous inquiries for tongues, toheroas, dried milk and oilier products special to the Dominion. Interested onlookers—and there are many—often slill wonder why there are not attractive shops permanently established in good-class localities in leading centres of industry, stocked with products of the Dominions, either individually or collectively. Jn London the shopper is better provided for perhaps, for there are certainly half a dozen noted stores which always do carry udecjuale supplies of Empire products, display them with tasto and sell them for what they are.

Looking Back Many Years. People who know of the excellence of butter, lamb, cheese, honey, apples, tongues from New Zealand; of the lino quality of fruits—fresh and dried—from -Australia and South Africa; of the arrowroot from the West Indies; of the cereals, fruit, honey, etc., from Canada; of the dairy products and honey from Ireland; of the spices from India—and there are other instances too numerous to tabulate —would much rather buy them if they were always available and always prominently shown. Some shopkeepers do not seem to be interested; others do not see why they should push Empire goods in preference to articles of foreign production; others, again, think it would not be piofitable or that their customers want cheaper things. Well, casting memory back over many years, one can recall how great success was made in Manchester by Mr. H. C. Cameron, formerly of Dunedin, who, in 1896, established three shops in that populous city, chosen as a go-ahead centre on the opening of the Ship Canal. His Piccadilly headquarters was a centre of the utmost attraction and caused continuously growing interest. In those days there was no produce board of any kind to help on private enterprise. 110 displayed and pushed New Zealand goods as far as thev were then to be had, because lie knew the excellence of their quality, and had pleasure iu creating a demand. Attention to Details.

In (hose days New Zealand meat was the chief product exported, and Mr, Cameron's principal branch was a model of setting for the display of the produce—white marble, polished mirrors, attractive pictures, fair men dressed in spotless white—all these carefully planned details were- decided on so that a fresh-looking whole might result. Then the butter in turn begun to come, but though no favourable business facilities were made available to him to push its sale, Mr. Cameron established in Manchester a great demand for the. early butters, which were of Waikato origin, and which were "the choicest in the market." Ilis New Zealand cheese was of the "finest quality," and lie sold many tinned lunch tongues, tinned rabbits, all from tlio same country, everything being guaranteed "genuine" and "high-class."

Mr. Cameron's business flourished and extended until he sold out on receiving appointment to London as Produce Commissioner for the New Zealand Government during the time that the Hon. W. P. Peeves was Agent-General. The Piccadilly shop is still there, owned now bv one of the best-known purveyors of meat who deal extensively in Now Zealand's output.

Although Mr. Cameron had during his term of ofiice as Produce Commissioner repeatedly urged the establishment of shops for the advertisement, by demonstration of New Zealand produce, no action was taken in the matter, and it is only recently that the advisability of adopting such action lias been acknowledged, and a beginning made to give effect to it through the produce boards.

AUSTRALIAN STOCKS. . .\i:\V YORK QUOTATIONS. NEW YORK, April G. On the New York slock market to-day Australian stocks were quoted us follows:—Commonwealth, 5 per cent., 1955, £6B 2s 6d; do., 1957, £63 7s 6d; Commonwealth, <U per coiil., 1956, £6l; New South Wales. 5 per cent., 1957, £6O 10s; do., 1953, £59; Queensland, 7 per cent., 1942, £96; do., 1947, 6 per cent., £B2. CANADIAN WHEAT. COMPULSORY POOL PLAN. REGINA, April 0. hi urging support for legislation to provide for a compulsory wheat pool, a plebiscite on which is to be taken in Saskatchewan in June, Mr. A. J. McI'hail, president of the Saskatchewan pool, slated that only a 100 por cent, compulsory poul would abolish the evils of speculation and place Canada in a position effectively to cooperate with similar bodies in other countries. I wenly tlirce European countries had taken drastic action to regulate tho marketing of grain. CALIFORNIA FRUIT PACK. The Canners* League of California has announced the following packing statistics for 1930, those foi the previous year being given in parentheses:—Apn'cots, 1.954,194 cases (4,211,471); pears, 1,871,483 (2,101.901); peaches, Cling. 13.173.703 (7,972,086); totals of all fruits. 18,013.400 (15.585,734).

" Our summary of the entire situation as disclosed by tho pack statistics is that tho position is sound and that there is no heavy or burdensome surplus," the report savs. " The great bulk of the unsold stock is now hold by the stronger canners and we believe that they, like ourselves, arc confident there will |ns a good demand during the spring and early summer months. We know from careful investigation that stocks of our products in distributors' hands are light, iu fact in total volume they are loss than they have been for many years. \Ve also know (lint goods of our pack are going iuto consumption in u normal manner."