NEW ZEALAND ASLEEP.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 November 1921, Page 12

NEW ZEALAND ASLEEP.

ADVICE AND WARNING 0? NO AVAIL. DEPRESSING THE BUTTER MARKET. SIR THOMAS MACKENZIE HITS OUT. At Palmerston North on Wednesday Sir Thomas Mackenzie spoke to the Luncheon Club. When he had returned to Auckland a. month ago he had been met by the Press representatives and asked for an interview in regard to the marketing of New Zealand produce in London. He had said to the reporters, ‘’What is the use?” and he had pointed out to them that for twenty years he had made report after report, some of them of a most elaborate character, to New Zealand Governments in regard to our marketing methods in the Old Country, and they had all been thrown into the waste paper basket. If a comprehensive report, which he had made on the frozen meat industry twenty years ago. had been taken up at that time, if grave anuses had been remedied and the whole industry placed on a commercial scale, the aspect of affairs would have been altered. The only man who had thoroughly investigated the scheme and found it good, the then Minister of Agriculture, Sir John McKenzie, unfortunately died, and the whole question was allowed to drop. When he came back a year ago, he again emphasised the importance of completely altering and systematising our methods, but -nothing was done. It was talking to the wind. This country, while it was subsidising schemes for internationalism, subsidising exhibitions which would not return as many pence as the pounds spent on them, and giving large contributions towards maintaining small battleships, bad done and would do nothing adequate towards establishing a trade] watch tower in its principal market j officered by competent persons, whose i special duty would-be to study 'every 1 movement of the markets, make it their j business to watch the statistics of competitors, and keep the producers here in ! touch with what was actually going on.; But nothing was ever done. During the war, our produce was all | taken over by the Imperial authorities, i Argentine did likewise, but reserved for 1 itself 20 per cent, with which to con- I tinue free trading. Thus, while our con- ■ nections were blotted out, the Argentine retained hers, with the result that, while a limit was set upon our prices, this competitor was able to get 2d .3d, 4d, and as much as 5d per lb more fot-

her inferior lamb than the New Zealand t- producer got for his. Then, when the .'Americans came into the war, instead ' of sending all available ships to bring r over troops rapidly and all insulal>’•! I ships to bring meat from New Zealand and Australia, our stores were left crammed with meat, while foodstuffs 1 were imported from America, and the earning of troops was delayed. » At a conference of British producers , in Loildon. he had got a resolution ca»- ’ 1 ried confirming the necessity of interEmpire trading, and emphasising the net-G of exact statistical information to i stabilise'production ?in<l consumption in I the Home market. For Jack of this in--1 formation, and -for the lack of consider- ; ation amongst the producers, we were ' phriced at Ihe mercy of-onr competitors. ’I who . closely studied the. markets, and \who tverc able to so manipulate supj plies as to make millions of profits for I Xhemseives. , , Sir Thomas quoted a cablegram which Iliad appeared in the Nev.- Zealand papers giving a forecast of the butter market. which was quite, at. variance with I the actual facts, but which had had a ;■ verv serious effect in depressing the i-market, with the result that the specui lators had got in and made an enor- : mous scoop. New Zealand butter was f<he best that went into Lonnon. but through manipulations, it was made to take a second place to Denmark, and it ' rarely- found its way on to the maiket in ide nd."i.*ia bl 0 siiape. It was often adulterated, or mixed with local butters by traders for their own purposes, and sometimes serrt down io the pro's inees and returned as best English. (Laugh- ’ ter.) He had evolved a scheme for securing a high-class trade by

' out samples; to leading grocers H lowing them up with regular supplies I sifter a taste had been created, but nothing was done. We were enjoying a slumber which appeared to know no waking. And tin- prices went down and ' down. Sir Thomas then went on to give a fc>T of information with regard to dishonest practices in the meal trade, m which claims for excessive damage were pm in for moat that wa- not damage! l at all. This was passed on to the in- : surance companies, and pas.-ed back to i.lw‘ producers, but this dal not prevent the dishonest traders from reaping '.op orices for the product. W hen he went to i)i<' i-onimiitff of tin- Board of Ttade during lire early part oi rhe war he had stipulated that these ritarr-s must not he allowed. Hi- attitude nas resSnted, and his decision resisted oy emiisenl men in the trade, but ho lj.:d j fou«-ir± it out, and had his own way. . (App.-uuse.) He was also instrument. j in opting the iniquitous charge oi £1 per°carease of bee-f removed. I He 1i:mI read in the papers all sorts | of schemes for “scientifically market- I in®” our produce. He thought they 1 would be well advised, before launch- ; ing out into any of these schemes, to j have the whole question thoroughly j investigated. They must remember j that in any venture of this kind they | would come into conflict with vested interests already established, very high-! ly organised, and with enormous capi-I lai. These people held the South American meat trade at I heir mercy, then shipping was cheaper, and their meat airived fresher on the market. It we established shops in London, we should first of alt have to run the gamut of a boycott, and the cutting of prices, but we should find that in catering for the various needs of the populace we should .have to go to our competitors fur some lines in order to satisfy our customers. A very much better plan, in his opinion. would be to establish some central , authority in London, with the backing j of the (iovernmenC. in order to give our statements weight, to study closely every bearing of the trade, and keep suppliers advised at this end. At this • end we should have an alert tribunal J representative of the producers and. commercial interests, to deal with tm reports, and do tlieir best to firing their ■ : representations into ettect. Io have; efficient representation in London, money would have to be spent, the representatives appointed would have to be men of experience and integrity, and j -they wonk! have to be well backed iy>’ at this end.