IMPROVED MARKETING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 36, 7 February 1912, Page 8

IMPROVED MARKETING.

SOME SUGGESTIONS

A meeting of the Cold Storage and ice Association was held in London on October 30th last, when a paper entitled “Some Suggestions for the improved Marketing of Frozen Produce” was read by Major Norton, a director of R. and \V. Davidson, Glasgow and London. Following are a few extracts from tlio paper;— Prior to the advent of the Commonwealth Commerce Act, it was possible for grease of the most doubtful na-0 ture to be milled up in Australia and shipped to England as finest Australian dairy butter. It was possible for carcases of,lamb and mutton, more suitable for lanterns than for the table, to bo shipped to England in considerable quantities. ' It was also possible for cases marked “Apples” to contain a good deal that one would not care to describe as saleable fruit. All these were faults which, if allowed to continue, would prejudice the best efforts on this side to obtain suitable markets for frozen or drilled produce.

'I be much-abused Commonwealth Commerce Act is in •my opinion another step in the right direction, and has already assisted legitimate shippers in obtaining hotter prices for their produce in these markets. J admit .1 do not consider tin's Act perfect by any means: there are instances where, no doubt, it lias commenced at the wrong end, and other instances where it appears to want too much power, whilst there are occasions, to my mind, where it is not stringent enough.

Another most important point that is so often called attention to by critics on the other side, regarding the system of marketing in England, is that so much of the frozen and chilled produce shipped to England from either Australia or New Zealand is not sold as from the “country of origin.” Personally, I am not at ill sure that the time is ripe for this to obtain in regard to some of the linos exported: 1 mean, of course, in the interest of the shippers, but aliening that it is, who is to blame? Necessarily, I take it, it is the business of the trader in the United Kingdom to buy at ns low a figure as possible, and to sell to the best advantage to himself, and unless the public demand that it should be otherwise, it might suit his purpose to sell, say. Australian or Npw Zealand butter as coming from some other country, although, I do not say he does do so. hat have the Australian producers done to ensure that the excellence of their butter, for instance, is being brought prominently before the British public? Certainly I am aware that the Commonwealth and State Governments have done excellent work in advertising Australian produce generally, by exhibiting at trade shows, lectures, etc., all of which., 1 maintain are splendid means of bringing such lines as limit, wine, honey, and eannod goods before the notice of the consumer, particularly If such steps are correctly followed up. In regard to butter, however, 1 consider the time is absolutely ripe when a far more comprehensive system of advertising should be adopted, and I also think that at least half of the entire cost should be borne by the producers most direct ly benclitted. Now for a few of the faults that obtain on this side, and suggestions I for rectifying them. I am of opinion I that far too large a proportion of the colonial produce sent to this conn- ( try is centred in London, and that, I

as a consequence, the best net returns do not roach tho producers. In this connection I refer in particular In frozen meat and fresh fruit. With regard to those two Hues of produce, 1 am convinced in my own mind, alter years of careful investigation and actual experience, that a more even distribution to other ports in the United Kingdom would result in a better not return to tiio shipper. While Ido not hold a brief for any particular port, -I maintain that with mutton and lamb, where the minimum of handling is such an essential feature, there arc ports offering far greater facilities in this direction than London that should receive direct shipments to a far larger extent than at present obtains. Time will not permit of my dealing with this question as fully as I'should like, but with regard to land) and mutton, I am prepared to back this argument right up to the hilt, botli from figures that 1 possess and my own actual experience.

In London wo have practically the maximum of handling, and wluvc must necessarily follow, the maximum amount of damage. Hull, Avo'umouth, and Manchester offer unique facilities and the lowest scale of charges. Consequent upon the excessive claims that have been made on tiro underwriters for damage, the insurance rates have increased about 50 per cent during the'last four years. At the present time a large proportion of the mutton and lamb that comes into London is eventually consumed in the large manufacturing and colliery centres north of Birmingham, and from their geographical position it appears to mo that it is only reasonable to believe that those important centres could be.,, more economically served from either of the northern ports than from London, and that in addition the meat would bo put before the public in a much brighter condition. The Midlands and the thickly populated centres in South Wales and the West ff England could in their turn bo better served from one of the natural nets of the district. By adopting this more oven distribution of the

rozon moat shipments the minimum handling would bo obtained. Considerable reduction in insurance rates should follow, and a great saving would bo effected in M'wk and store •barges and railway freights. As regards butter, for. the time being, at any rate, I do not see that my ultimate advantage is to be gainid by shipping other than direct to whatever may happen later, vhon shipping, facilities increase. Rapid delivery is the essential feature in regard to this commodity, and the ixtra ch.arges incurred by distributing from London-are more than compensated by tlio higher prices nhadnable .consequent upon obtaining lelivery at the earliest moment. While it goes without saying that the less handling any commodity receives the better it is, the question of handling loos not become a leading feature with butter as with frozen mutton and lamb, and, again, the proportion of Australian and New Zealand butter consumed in the North- of England is not to bo compared with that of frozen meat.

I am pf opinion that prices of Aus--.ralian and New Zealand butter could be much, better regulated and controlled if the whole output were consigned. I fully realise that it is very tempting to the shipper to sell putriglit when prices such as wo sometimes hear of arc offered, but I still maintain that the shipper of frozen produce,, no matter what it is, who •(insistently consigns over a series of /oars is the best off in the long run, md his position would be oven better if everyone adopted that principle.