THE AGENT-GENERAL ON NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2211, 16 July 1896, Page 14

THE AGENT-GENERAL ON NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE.

MR REBVJES'S VIEWS.

(Fbom Our, Own Correspondent.) ' "*" ■ London, May 29. A few days ago I had a long talk with the new Agent-general on the subject of the New Zealand produce trade, to which he has already devoted a large anstupt of time, attention, and energy. Mr Reeves remarked at first that, as bis investigations were still proceeding, he j thought tho time was ecaroi ly ripe for a regular " interview." However, we d' if ted by degrees into so exhaustive a review of the quenticn that if I am m.t warranted in deimibiog it as a formal "interview," our conversation was certainly first cousin to one of those interesting functions.

♦' I need hardly tell. you," said Mr Reeves, " how much work I have already done in connection with investigations regarding New Zealand procuoe, for you and I have often come across one another while we have both been Engaged in a similar pursuit. Bat I may tell you that 1 have been compelled already to irme at. some very decided views on the subject, which I have expressed frankly to my Government.

•'In the first.- place I have been compelled, most relucts! t'y but itevitably, to come to the concluMorTtlutrthe frozen meat now biing sent from New Zealand U certaialy not improving in quality, but- on the contrary is distinctly falling tff. This (truck me particularly with regard to the lamb. Now, if there is one branch of the meat trade in which New Zealand ought tj be able, and is able, to stand unrivalled and to defy all competition, it ib in the excellence of her lambs. And yet I find at the present time that the lambs arriving from New Zealand are unmistakably losing their high reputation. For one thing, what they are sending Home bow as lambs often have really no right to be called by that name. They are really ehcep wei&hing some 4Q:b, There can cot be. a, greater mutake than to at empt to palm cff>n}uttou on EoglUh buyers. under the guis* of lamb and at lamb pr'ces. .81' oh an attempt is 'certain to fail and to be justly relented. * ;

("Then, 'again, several cargoes have been damaged. Qhis is a most serious matter. It not only spoils the sale of meat actual'y damaged but it casts a stigma on the whole shipment, and the mischievous cfftcS of this £]ur is eten obly too plainly in the depreciation of prices. It seems to me that the insurance companies are strangely indifferent on this point. They simply pay* the cUims and do cot bother themselves fuither about the matter. I cannot under* ttnd why they do eoS look more carefully into the reason why they hare to pay for to much damaged meat' and take some steps in the direction of having the cause removed. "What can ha mcreawful for the interests of the New Zealand meat trade than the wholesale diopcßil of damaged carcases of New Zealand meat in London ? For, although the meat is Bold wholesale at a very cheap rate as damaged, when it' is once bought' by tile retailers it is sold bj them to their customers simply as New Zealand meat, and if it turned out badly the customers take it for granted that, this would be the usual experience -with New Zealand meat, bo they cto not buy it ag>iin_if they bnoiv it. " Then again," said Mr Reeves, " what can be more suicidal than the prerent system of distribution ? "We are not competing so much with other countries as with ourselves. Our own dealers and seller* are bidding against one another, trying to. undersell each other for the Bake of getting "rid' of the meat somehow. Sorely seme arrangement would be fencible by' which large dealers could work together and not indnlge" in throat-cutting competition with one another. But the fact is that it is of the last importance to have English agents who are sufficiently 'strocg in the bsek.' That is. to say, who h&ve enough finaucial backing to be able to bold on for a .time instead of hating to' zuih their meat at once into the market and get it oS their hands at any price. Of coarse seme of the dealers are in this batter position, but then they havo to contend wainst tbe disadvantage of being undersold by me weaker oUsses to whom I havo just re-

ferred. This is one of the drawbacks which need overcoming, and speoUl consideration ought to be devoted to the best moans of meeting the difficulty.

'•Then there is another Tery important thing," said Mr Reaves, rising from his seat and beginniug to pace the room in considerable excitement, "the New Zealand produceis I ougbt most certainly to kick up a row very vigorously with some of the Eoglish conI siguees about the shameful way in which the meat is handled on arrival in London. As yon' are aware, I- went down several time 3to the docks to see for myself private'y how things were managed, and I was absolutely horrified to see the careless and feckless way in which the carcases' ivere handled. Tirey were simply chucked about and knocked aboub anyhow, and even from -the rough handling of whioh I was a witness during the time I was there I am certain a large amount of damage must have been done to ths meat, Toere is no justification whatever for this sort of treatment. It is due to pure negligence, and cRn ea#y be remedied bj proper watchfulness at the time of landing. i "As to the supposed prejudices entertained by British coatumsrs agaitut New Zealand meat," continued Mr Reeves, "as far as I have been able to judge, that is largely a thing of "the past with the more cultured and sensible people. The prejudice that now nesds to, be overcome is that of domestic servants, especially the British cook. These are the people who will not eat frozen meat, aud who resent beiog asked, not merely to do that, but even to handle and cook it. lam iaclincd to think that some of- this prejudice is due lo the trouble caused by thawing and outting up frozen meat as it is sometimes supplied. Here I think the defrosting process may be of great service, and I hope that it will came into larger use tban&t present, as it would remedy all ground of complaint on the score I have jutt referred to.

" Then I have also bsen looking into the matter of' dairy produce. From what I can make out, no means whatever seem to have been adopted to make known in Kngland the faot that New Zealand butter is most carefully graded by expeita utider the auspices of tbe Government b'tfore it leaves the colony. Mo&t certainly the Government ought to take active sfcepj delay (o ensure this fact of the official grading before shipment being thoroughly well known in London. As it is, tho value of tlis grading is ultnosb- entirely lo3t, because no one in Louden knows anything about it.

" The New Zealand butter seems to be no hotter treated on landing than the New Zealaud meat. I myself -saw New Zaalsmd butter lying about for days at the docks in the ho£ sun, with greasy wool all round it. In what sort of condition was tho butter likely to reach the market after beirg thus treated ? Obviously it ought to have been fetched away the instant it was landed, instead of being left to swelter in tho hot sun. Here the remedy seem? to be that New Zealand producers . should only send their dairy produce to people who will fetch it away at once or store it. I? it is not stored it will have to be simply sacrificed. There is no greater mistake than to suppose that butter cap be sold in any quantity in 24 or 48 hours' notice, and provision must be made for tbe due care of the produce during the time wbioh must elapre between the landing and the safe ; also, as in the case of frozan meat, the greatest pos-ible care is needed in the selection of London agents who have a good financial standing or backlog. 'It' is not merely a case of getting better terms, but there must; be the. power of holding produce until it can be rea.li.-ed to advantage, tastes d of its having to be sacrificed in order to obtain th* ca'h scm -how.

11 Complticti are being made by London dealers that in certain cages there his been manifest negligence in 'Vie care of the ditry produce during its transit in Now Zealand frc m ths factory to the ship. Some of thebu'tsr wh'ch has arrived in bid condition Ins manifestly been injured before it was put on board the ship. Th°re are cartain unmutikiblo symptoms which enable this to be determined. This is a ma' ter which must bo rect.fiad in the colony.

" I must river 1 for one moment to the ftvzen nit at question," Mr Ri-ves went o.i to ,»ay. " I am afraid that the eviduics poiuf.3 imsi-tibly to the fact that some of th.3 meat put on board ia^New Zealand is nob in p-oper condition when shipped. Toat 19 to say, it hai not been thoroughly refrigerated at the factoiie3. Here again tho on»3 of reform rests on the colony. Also, as I said before, there haß been diitioct deterioration during the past few month? in the quality of both the mutlou and lamb sent over from New Zealand, and this is also a sericua

matter which should be carefully looked into and nmedied. '

" Bub in the main," concluded Mr Reeves, " I have no hesitation in asserting that the New Zealand produce, both of dairy and meat is extremely good. In my own persona 1 ! opinion, however, the export from the ocloDy ok any butter but that made in factories or creameries should be absolutely prohibited by statute. This may seem a strong thing to say, but as a matter of faot the butter ordinarily made at farmers' dairies is not suitable for export to England, aud it simply gives New Zealand butter a bsd n«rae. And I should like to say that those who are mansgirg both dairy and refrigerating works in New Zealand will haye to keep alive to the pojsibility of improved methods and progress generally. They must not sit dosvn with folded hands and tbink that they have already done everything that can be done or need be done—in fact*, that they are functus officio merely because ttey have made a goad' article. They must constantly be on the alerb for me»m of improving its quality, and still more to discover better methods of ensuring its satisfactory transit and profitable distribution iv Eogland." .