NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21668, 11 June 1932, Page 13

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

CAMPAIGN AT LEEDS COLOUR OF MUTTER SCHEME FOR CLEARING HOUSES. (From Ocr Own Correspondent.) LONDON, April 28. The High Commissioner _ initiated a New Zealand produce campaign at Leeds yesterday. Sir Thomas Wilford was received at the Town ; Hall by . the Lord Mayor of Leeds (Aid. F. B. Simpson), and spent half an hour discussing the question of the interchange of trade between New Zealand and the Mother Country, Representatives of New Zealand’s primary industries, Mr R. S. Forsyth (New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board) and Mr E. E, Davis (New Zealand dairy producers), were also present, together with Colonel Eric Murray (secretary of the British Empire League). The New Zealand party was then entertained at luncheon by the Leeds' Luncheon Cluh, and afterwards the High Commissioner addressed the large gathering of influential business men. At the outset of his speech he referred to a letter he had received from a Leeds lady who had complained of the “ horrid yellow” of New Zealand butter, at Is 2d a lb as against Danish at ,1s 3d. The colour of New Zealand butter, he said, was its greatest asset. The Dominion had no store-fed cattle. The butter was produced from the grass lands, the cows drank the crystal-clear waters of that country, and the sun, which averaged six hours a day all the year round, produced the golden hue of the New Zealand butter. The vitamin content of that butter was sun produced and health giving, and the difference between it and Danish was that one was golden hued and the other pai€ and anffiinic. RECIPROCAL TRADE. New Zealand sent to this country 10.000. carcasses of lamb last year, which was more than the Argentine and Australia put together, and out of that 10.000. only 120 carcasses were condemned on account of faulty freezing In 30 different towns 30 butchers were prosecuted for selling Argentine meat af New Zealand, but one never T heard of « retailer trying to sell his New Zealand meat as Argentine The Dominion had a great trade in apples, but the queer thin? about English people was that they not take two apples for a pound, but wanted five. The big apples, therefore went to Germany, and the smaller oneto,: this country. ... • Of the 1022 million pounds worth of imports into the dominions and protectorates of the British Empire, £542,881,000 came from foreign countries. That ought not to he. Knowing New Zealand as he did, he considered the British manuiacturcr was not as clever a salesman or a marketer of his produce as were manufacturers of some other countries. A change had to take place. No part or the Empire wanted to buy British more than New Zealand did ‘‘We want to keep the money in the family, he said. “If you buy £1 worth of goods from ns we can buy from you. If you don t we cannot.” , , A national stocktaking was wanted tor Britain took from the Empire only 28.(3 per cent, of her total imports. OTTAWA CONFERENCE. The problem of the future for the British Empire, continued Sir Thomas, was a common object, a common association, a common understanding, and a common practice. “If you do not have these things m a bi<* organisation, how can you expect it to function?” he asked. “I believe the spirit in regard to the forthcoming Ottawa conference is good, But I am also satisfied we must have a common method of coordination and a common policy. I loox also to reciprocal advantages as a key to the position, and_ believe_ that too much talk of currency is not going to help. But if we go into the question of established credits, the varying currencies of different parts of the Empire will adjust themselves.” . PERMANENT ECONOMIC COUNCIL. Sir Thomas said he believed that, as one of the direct results of the conference, the need would be shown for the establishment of a permanent advisory economic council, so that when the Ottawa Conference ended, they would have a direct liaison for all time for consultation by different parts of the Empire, and for co-operation. __ . Speaking about the work of the Wool Industries Research Association at Torridon, Leeds, and Leeds University, Sir Thomas said they were doing a wonderful work for the woolgrowers of the Empire. “We in New Zealand,” he said, “have a problem entirely different from Australia. Australia grows what is known as merino wool, one of the finest wools in the world, and we grow a crossbred. But Australia does not pay attention to the carcass. We have satisfied you about the carcasses of our sheep, and now we want to satisfy you about our wool. “ Our problem, therefore, is to lessen the cost of production, and the only way to do it is with the help of Torridon and Leeds University, who'can show us how to E reduce more wool to the sheep, and a etter quality,” • SCHEME FOR PERMANENT MARKETING CENTRES. In the distribution of British goods in Now Zealand there was decidedly room for improvement. Manufacturers might be interested in a scheme which had been seriously considered here and in New Zealand of private clearing houses for British manufacturers in the four centres of the Dominion. The central feature of_ the scheme was .to establish large, dignified, and specially designed British houses in the heart of each of the four principal cities of the Dominion to enable United Kingdom agents and British products in many ways to be brought and kept continuously before the public as, British. This idea, together with the distribution of a special British House Trade Directory, it was hoped, would link the home manufacturer up with Dominion householders. Capital would, of course, be required but those interested at this end might think it worth while for the' proper marketing of their products as British to take a real interest in the movement. . . Sir Thomas added, the scheme will safeguard and help the public in New Zealand in the desire to buy British.