TRADE WITH AFRICA.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5311, 24 June 1904, Page 7

TRADE WITH AFRICA.

OCR- DAIRY AND PRODUCE ■ EXPORTS. AIR KINSELLA’S VIEWS. Sir Joseph Ward lias received a long and comprehensive report from Afr J. A, Kinsclla, Dairy Commissioner for the colony, on the prospects of New Zealand trade with South Africa for the different linos of our produce. Air Kinsclla regards the prospects for a largo and lusting trade between Now Zealand and South Africa as almost assured, particularly in agricultural mid dairy products. In fact, ho would almost stake his reputation on the fact that an enormous trado could ho done for many years to como if tho people of this country went about supplying .South Africa in a proper and businesslike manner. We should endeavour to give tho purchaser in Africa exactly what ho could sell ami the article should bo exactly what would suit tho consumer or handler, whether meat, butter, cheese, timber, or any other product. So far as meat and dairy produce wore concerned, if we were not alivo to tho fact that it was important to lay our produce on tho African markets in A 1 condition, wo would shortly find ourselves out of tho swim so far as quality and price aro concerned. So long a.s disease in stock continues in tho various colonics of South Africa, particularly in the Transvaal and tho Orange River Colony, he is of opinion soiiiß years must olapsc before they will bo able (o grow enough live stock to supply local demands. Ho is satisfied that Now Zealand should ho able to get a good market for her beef, mutton, tougnos, kidneys, rabbits, butter, cilcoso, etc, Tho latest small shipments o( our beef seemed to bo giving almost entiro satisfaction. Ir. catering lor tho African trado. so far as moat is concerned, we should aim to send only tho best quality, for tho reason that it is a now market, and other countries aro endeavouring to lay down there just exactly the kind of meat and produce tho people ask for. In regard to mutton, wo must send nice, medium-sized, plump sheep, not too fat, and above all havo them well-dressed and properly covered in cotton scrim and canvas; and ovory attention should bo paid to landing tho shipments according to contract, at least as near as possible. Tho Now' Zealand tongues he had exam ined in Africa wore not what they ought to ‘bo. When opened up they wore found to be out of shape, long, flabby and discoloured. They wore also packed in rough, untidy cases which were much too long. Ho was disgusted with tho few small shipments of New Zealand kidneys he examined in Africa. They were sent in rough, dirty _ cases, and still ivorso, soma in canvas sacks, being thrown in regardless of size or quality. In tinned meats, .he is afraid wo do not stand ranch chanoo of developing a largo trado, or even getting a “cut in,” against tho Americans. The groat trouble in regard to our hams ai(d bacon is that purchasers cannot get the goods in New Zealand. Ho hopes our farmers will soon wake up to the importance of growing more pork. The same might be said of our poultry as of our hams and bacon. Ho fears that New Zealand will not bo able to do much with Africa in the fish trade, unless with blue cod and tinned whitebait. Our exported rabbits woro very lino and well spoken of. Dealing with butter, ho strongly condemns the practice of holding largo quantities in cold storages through the winter with a view to catching a higher market in the spring. The quality of the majority of butter samples he examined had deteriorated very much. Our only chance of competing with the Argentine w;as on tho score of better quality, and if our producers aimed to get thoir butter on tho African markets, the Argentine people could not touch them as far as quality is concerned. In regard to choose, wo do very little business with Africa at the present time, and unless we adopt some bettor system of laying our cheese down in a sounder condition, there is little hope of our establishing any tiling liko a decent connection. Ho recommended better packing and improved methods of storage in transit.