DOMINION PRODUCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21562, 5 August 1933, Page 11

DOMINION PRODUCE

MARKET IN THE EAST DIFFICULTY OF EXTENSION [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN* CHEISTCHURCH. Friday In spite of assertions to the contrary,the Dairy Board is not convinced that New Zealand can extend/its sales of! dairy produce in the East to any appreciable extent, according to a statement made by the secretary to the board, Mr. T. C. Brash, in addressing a conference of dairy company representatives. Mr. Brash also said, the board was now able to afford only. £IO,OOO a year for advertising overseas, but this was quite an inadequate sum. "The board has been dealing with the question of marketing in the East for some time, and no opportunity is being missed," said Mr. Brash, "but, quite frankly, there is no likelihood of any great quantity of New Zealand dairy produce finding its way to that market." Australia had a regular fortnightly service to the Eastern ports, largely because she supplied wheat and flour to these countries, approximately £1,000.000 worth of flour alone being - shipped,- said Mr. Brash. Apart from this, Australia imported goods worth about £7,000,000 a year from the Dutch East Indies. To ship New Zealand goods to the East cost almost twice what it cost to ship them from Australia, and this, together with regular shipping, almost gave the trade to Australia. . The total export of butter from Australia to the East was about 5000 tons, and it was not increasing. Australian < .. merchants, incidentally, were of * opinion that it would not increase. To enable New Zealand to gam a larger share of the present 5000 tons would mean cutting prices to a point that would make the trade quite unpayable. There had been- no profit in tho trade . to tho East with dairy produce, bub those who had been shipping small quantities were attempting to hold what trado there was in tho hope that it> might improve.