GROCERS’ EXHIBITION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22708, 22 October 1935, Page 18

GROCERS’ EXHIBITION

SUCCESS OF NATIONAL MARK NEW ZEALAND REPRESENTATION LORD LINLITHGOW ON BACON. (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, September 28. At the opening luncheon in connection with the Grocers’ Exhibition at the Royal Agricultural Hall, the Marquess of Linlithgow, Viceroy-designate of India, whose connection with the Departmental Committee on Distribution and Prices of Agricultural Produce and with the Market Supply Committee gave him special authority, gave some words of advice. In urging the trade to support the efforts to develop the home bacon industry, he said: “ When the worst has been said, when we have remembered that you have had to modify greatly your sources of supply, that you have had less imported bacon to handle, that a good deal of home produce lacks standardisation and has not been of the quality to which you have been accustomed, and that, for somebody else’s sins you have had to face the irritated housewife, is there not something to be said on the other side? Let us not overlook the importance of an expanded bacon industry as a national asset —we already cure twice as many sides in this country as we did in 1932 —and you will, I know, acknowledge that quality is steadily improving all the time, largely, I grant, as a result of forceful but reasoned criticism from yourselves and your associations. And now you have a market in which prices are relatively stable—the valleys of ‘give-away’ prices and the Himalayan peaks of dearness have alike been 1 ironed out to the advantage, I should have thought, of all concerned. We can look forward, too, with a good deal of confidence to getting costs reduced and efficiency increased as a result of the work of the new Development Board, with whose work you will be associated on an advisory committee.” UNWHOLESOME SHOPS. While acknowledging that there were tens of thousands of capable tradesmen, Lord Linlithgow said there was a largo fringe of shops selling food under conditions that were anything but wholesome, and making it extremely difficult for the 1 legitimate trader to continue in business and make a living. Would they not agree that there were many who could not pay their assistants what they considered decent wages or work them reasonable hours? Lord Linlithgow also referred to the success of the national mark scheme, the principles of which are largely based on the Linlithgow Report. The Govern- | ment have arranged at the exhibition ' an attractive display of foodstuffs prei pared under the scheme. The movement i was started in 1928 with apples and 1 pears. To-day, the people of the Homei land can obtain under the mark all the 1 well-known fresh fruits and vegetables, and when the fresh fruits and vegetables are out of season they can buy national mark canned and bottled fruits and vegetables. Eggs, poultry and beef are also obtainable under the mark, as well as Cheshire and Stilton cheese and creamery butter; flour made from English wheat; honey, jam, cider and perry. It is certainly a great movement in this country, and the goods sold under the national mark are most desirable and reliable. PACKETED CHEESE. A tour of the Grocers’ Exhibition reveals several other things of interest to New Zealand. In the first place, there

Smith. Limited. is a striking increase in the number of firms who are handling cheese wrapped in silver paper and packed in small boxes. There is a variety of brands, but most of the attendants at the stands make no secret of the fact that the packets contain mainly New Zealand cheese. The packers doubtless make a good profit on their goods, but they are justified, for the cheese is good and there is no waste to the purchaser. The Amalgamated Dairies have a stand on which they show their Anchor butter, dried and tinned milks, and oysters. They continue their publicity campaign through the Anchor Club for the children, and their latest enterprise is an Anchor Brand concert broadcast in English from Radio Normandie at 5 p.m. every Thursday. Still another development In a small way is the private packeting of New Zealand butter. One or two distributing firms have their own registered brand under which they packet and sell New Zealand butter. The name “New Zealand ” is plainly marked on the packet. TINNED HAMS. A firm of well-known bacon curers is packing boneless hams in tins. The tins weigh 161 b, and the contents are sold at 2s lOd per lb. The manager of this firm said: “The time is coming in Great Britain, as in America, when almost everything will be packed in tins.” Wherever there is an exhibition of any importance Canada is sure to have a stand. Their exhibits arc run by a special exhibition association, and having set tip their stands they let out the sections at cost price to private firms who exhibit nothing but Canadian produce. The New Zealand Dairy Board is, as usual, represented by a large and attiactive stand, the object of the board being to keep in touch with the retailers, induce them to stock New butter and cheese, and provide them with advertising material for their window displays.