SELLING OUR PRODUCE ON MERIT

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 173, 2 July 1931, Page 2

SELLING OUR PRODUCE ON MERIT

THE PART THAT GRADING FLAYS

, One aspect lof, the marketing probi lera in connection with New Zealand j cheese to which attention has been 1 drawn has its origin in the use to which the grading system is put, states the Southland Times. That grading is fundamentally sound, and is necessary to maintain a standard of excellence, to prevent the export of cheese too low in quality, is not questioned, and it is also admitted that tlie grading enforced in the Dominion is, under the circumstances, very efficient, despite the weaknesses in the connofction between the graders in New Zealand and the market the products they examine have to serve; hut the virtues of this grading system may lead to unexpected disadvantages. It must be realised that Canadian cheese reaches the London market as a matured article, that the Canadian prices quoted in comparison with New Zealand’s must be subject to the qualification that (her apply to matured cheese, while Ne\* Zealand’s quotations refer to cheese not fully ripened. It should be. understood, too, that as the Canadian cheese arrives on the London market and is sold a long time,after its grading, the grading marks have a diminished importance, so that buyers almost invariably inspect the cheese for themselves and buy on their own judgment. This is not the experience with New Zealand cheese. Each crate is branded! with the status of quality set by the Government graders, and the details of the grading are sent Home with the shipments, so that the buyer, having confidence in the uniformity of the grading, buys on the classification determined by the Government officers. At first glance it may seem that this is a decided advantage, hut there are associated disadvantages, and these work to the detriment of the cheese of the highest quality, since the tendency is to lump New Zealand cheese into large classes, to the destruction of individuality. The hulk improvement of New Zealand cheese is necessary, hut it can be secured, and even encouraged more potently, by ensuring that the merit of the finest quality shall reap its reward in a premium. This can he secured, of-course, where the cheese is bought on its merits. But there is d danger that where a large number of the purchases are made over the tidephone on the grade notes, it is more difficult to secure higher prices where quality merits the higher figure. For dome time it has appeared that more and more the tendency in the Old Country is to buy cheese on the grade marks, and so the district which is using the most generous gradingleans heavily on (lie factories turning out the higher grade article, and in the long run diminishes (he reward of quality. The remedy for this does not lie in a slackening in the butter factories, That would he suicidal. But it looks as if something should ho done to ensure that buyers are induced to “see for themselves,’ to buy “on the iron” instead of trusting to (he uniformity of grade markings. One means by which this personal contact between cheese and cheese-buyer

could 1)6 induced, is the elimination of grade markings from Hie crates, and the withholding of grade notes, ('fading must 1)6 maintained hut, as in the case of meat, it might be a guarantee of purity, and of quality high enough for export purposes. There may he other means of inducing buyers to test tlie cheese they are buying, hut while they can buy on grade markings the effect of uniformity is against the premium which merit should win. This is a matter of some importance So Southland, because that province despatches the best cheese to London hearing the New Zealand brand, audit' this standard of excellence is to reap the reward it deserves, individual merit should he permitted to exert its rightful influence. It would seem that the dairy industry in this province would do well to consider this matter gravely. There are points in it worthy of discussion, because it is to our advantage to “sell on merit.'’