OUR OVERSEAS MARKETS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15892, 11 October 1913, Page 4

OUR OVERSEAS MARKETS.

THE VANCOUVER TRADE. TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS. (FEOM 008 OWS COBIIESFONDENT.) INVERCARGILL, October 10. • Mr J. Graham Gow, who for tt>o last 14 years lias acted as trade (■ominiesioner lor tne dominion, is at present enjoying a holiday amongst his relatives at Wmton. "Yesterday ho conveyed to a News reporter a few of the impiessions lor:*ned as the outcome of his long oecupanoy of a most important position. It waa of his work in the opening up and enoouragement of trade vitn the Pacific Coast that Mf Gow had most to say, and it would appear from tlio evidences ho possesses of liis labours tlieio that tho olfico of trado oommi»ioncr is one surrounded with a vast amount of work. There could bo no doubt whatever, said Mr Gow, that a splendid market for certain lines o£ New Zealand produce could bo established with Western Canada. The reciprocal agreement existing between tho two dominions gave this oountry a decided advantage, and one that could be used to better purpose, Prior to hie going to Vancouver there was .praotically no market there lor New Zealand butter. As a matter of fuel; only something like 5000 boxes represented Mie annual shipments After' his first year there tho shipments increased to 52,000 boxes while on his retirement la6t year 10(1,000 boxes were on order, and all the available flipping space had been booked up to April of this year. The demand for New Zealand butter was increasing steadily, a fact which might bo attributed to Mr Gowjs persistency in placing the qualities of our produce before tlio Canadian importers. At tho beginning barriers of prejudice had to be broken down. Merchants complained that our butter was too pale in oolour and was not 6alt enough. This brought the reminder that New Zealand had ceased to make that class of butter for 15 years, and had adopts tho manufacture of an article whica commanded a high price on tho London market. Gradually the merchants were persuaded to handle Now Zealand butter, with tho result' that its popularity grow with every shipment. Tho cities of Western Canada were adding to the totals of their pooukiion at a rapid rate. Tile butter-making industry was thus being discarded in favour cf the more profitable one of city milk-supplying. The local supplies were drawn for tho most part from Ontario over a distance of 300 miles.. Tho freight for this journey wae> about equal to that between Auckland alia Vancouver, so that New Zealand butter sould bo placed on the Vancouver market on terms corresponding to those ,of the Ontario article, excepting for the two cents per pound duty. Tho. duty was, of course, something of a handicap. Nevertheless tho quality of New Zealand butter was sufficient .to overcome this to a very considerable extent

The difficulties underlying the establishment of trade in meat, mutton, and,lamb were many. Returns had shown that'the flocks in both Canada and tie United States were decreasing, and it was reasonable to suppose that the demand for New Zealand meat a,nd mutton would increase as time went on-. The trado had not.yet developed as Mr Gow had hoped 'on account of the conditions which prevailed. Upon his taking the matter in hand ho found that 13 firms were controlling tho meat trado in the We«t. The curse of monopoly soon made' itself evident, and he found that the practice was to book/ all the available steamer space with the object of kcep:ng other importers out of the business. Often the boats carried cargoes much below the maximum limit, lhis practice waa % meat inimical to the development of a regular' business in such commodities, a,nd Mr Gow eventually put a stop to it after a big fight. Another source of complaint amongst Canadian importers was the method of transport. The Canadian and New Zealand Government subsidised the Union Steam Sh:p Company, but the. benefits of such a subsidy so far as New Zealand was concerned were reaped ehieflv by Auckland The South Island ports did not benefit by it at ali. In tho ease of frozen producc the trouble was that there were no direct shipments from New Zealand ports other tl.an Auckland. There was, moreover, no arrangement for tlio carrying of frozen cargo on the New Zealand coast to Auckland. Canadian importers wore loud in their denunciation of this system, as tlmj were forced to arrange space with Sydney sh:ppers. Under existing shipping arrangements no benefit from the subsidy is derived by Lyttelton, Dunedin, Timarii, or Bluff, as it is impossible for these ports to place their produce on tho Canadian markets.

As a solution of this problem, Mr Gow advocates the subsidising of a 'lino of tramp steamers, which would call at the various ports along the New Zealand coast. There was really no advantage to bo gained from having a fast steamer service such as that provided bv the Union Company. As the result of that fasiy service the freight to Vancouver was considerably heavier than tho freight charges to liondon. ; A few .days longer at sea would not make the slightest difference to merchants, nor would the quality of the produce be affected. There was urgent necessity for some remedial change in connection with this matter. There was an excellent Canadian market for New Zealand mutton, lamb, canned meats, preserves, jam, butter, and Oaniaru stone but for the difficulties of transport. The stocks of Canadian and Cal'fornian apples generally disappeared about March, and after that time there was a good market for Antipodean fruit. With regard to eggs, Mr Gow said that a trial 'shipment had been successful, and ns n result of it an order had been placed in New Zealand at Is 2d a dozen, f.o.b.

Not only was Mr Gore's, time taken up with the opening of trade avenues, but much of it had to bo devoted to the protecting of Now Zealand produce from the fraudulent practices of unscrupulous merchants. He-found that some of these wero in the habit of adulterating New Zealand butter and selling it as prime Now Zealand at a price below what that article could bo imported for. Another scheme was to adjust tho butter-cutters incorrectly, and thus put short-weicht blocks on to the market for lib lots. Tlio exouse tendered was that the butter was sold in block, not as a pound of butter.