NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3775, 20 July 1926, Page 63

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE.

MR POLSON’S INFORMATIVE TOUR (Fboii Oor Own Correspondent.) WANGANUI, July 16. In the course of an interview Mr W. J. Poison, New Zealand President of the Farmers’ Union, who has just returned from Home, where he has been in connection with the agricultural bank investigations, dealt with the dairy industry, tie said that he was more firmly convinced than ever that there must be no relaxing in the quality of our exports if we were going to maintain our position in the Home markets. The commission during its travels learned of great increases of butter production, in various countries such as Argentina, Denmark, Esthonia, Finland, and far away Siberia. A very much increasing quantity of excellent butter was being imported into Great Britain. Mr Poison spent some time in Tooley street, and also in the Danish Export Association’s depots. He had been shown Danish butter of the best quality they were capable of producing, and the Esthonia butter was almost equally as good. The aims of the Danish were to get rid of their butter as fresh as possible. He was afraid that latterly we had rather lost sight of the importance of this side of the question in New Zealand of landing a fresh article on the London market. They had been shown a good deal of New Zea- ‘ land butter which, through someone's fault, had reached the market in a stale condition. Some cf this tasted of inferior boxing and some tasted, of preservative, and showed evidence of long storing. ’The commission had been considerably perturbed to learn that this complaint regarding our butter had become very general, ana. due to this defect, large orders had gone past us which formerly had invariably been given to New Zealand Various merchants and large retailers in different parts of England and Scotland had assured them that our butter was not of such good quality as ' formerly. Mr Poison was inclined to think that if our butter had deteriorated in quality it was due to circumstances over which we. as a people, had no control, and that it had been over long in store. On the other hand the quality of olr competitors’ butter had shown a vast improvement, and a considerable increase in output was takmg place. Australian butter was now equalling our price, and the Australians were pursuing a policy rather similar to the Danes, and were getting their butter into consumption as rapidlv as possible. Ihis was one of the problems that the Control Board would have to deal with if it were going to have a regular market. It would be difficult at-'times to prevent a certain amount of storage of butter, but there was no reason why, seeing that the men who comprised our Dairy Control Board had a full knowledge of the position they would not b e able to judge just when it would be best to hold and when to sell. Mr Poison was alarmed at the tone of some of the merchants in regard to control. Uuite a number of merchants had admitted that they wer e determined not to submit to dictation from New Zealand, and had consequqently placed orders elsewhere. Mr Poison did his best to inform these people that New Zealand had no intention of attempting to dictate, and it was the last thing that the members of the Dairy Control Board had in their minds. Wliat they were proposing to do was to work along the lines which had been so successfully followed by the Meat Control Board. There were certain difficulties attached to the export of butter which did not exist in regard to the export of meat, which made it very difficult for the Dairy Board to exercise control. Mr Poison further explained that the board was anxious to popularise New Zealand butter, and at the sffrne time to protect the producers and sellers, and to assure a properly regulated supply. Further questioning assured Mr Poison that the objection of the merchants was to arbitrary dictation, and not to control. As he understood it, there could be no objection to a control which was, becoming increasingly necessary everywhere, and to which every country is directing its attention. The U.S.A. is legislating and giving farmers’ boards co-operative control, and Argentina is also directing attention to the matter. Various countries in Europe were also doing it. Australia has a Meat Board, and is now, establishing a Dairy Board. New Zealand had a successful illustration of the operations of the Meat Board. He was satisfied that the members of the board were endeavouring to do their best for the benefit of the industry, and had no desire to stir up the position by making impossible demands upon the British merchants, but rather to stimulate and assist in the marketing of our produce. Mr Poison found that our ohesee occupied a very high place in the English market, t.nd he believed that we could achieve a position unassailable. He had personally little knowledge of the choose business, but he was very much impressed with the high opinion expressed regarding New Ze*iLnd cheese. He was agreeably surprised to find this opinion so largely Rhared by so many merchants. While in Denmark he received the greatest courteßy and assistance from the heads of the cooperative organisations. He attended tho markets of the Danish producers, and- hau been given information which he hed al ready discussed with the English authorities in Cambridge, -‘ncluding Sir William Hardy, who was in charge of the Government experimental cool storage. The information and the exchange of ideas he believed would be valuable in regard to some of the Now Zealand exports. He intended to discuss theso matters fully with the Meat Board on the first opportunity. Mr Poison went fully Into the Danish methods of marketing their bacon. The Dartish farmers were getting something in ♦ho region of lPd live weight for their P*ff ß . and by adopting tho Danish methods of marketing Mr P6lson wap inclined to ♦hink, from what the authorities told him, ♦hat the Dominion could put a bacon with identical appearance and qtpib'ty upon the English market