CO-OPERATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 21 September 1923, Page 5

CO-OPERATION.

IN MARKETING OF PRODUCE. By Telegraph—Press Association, WELLINGTON, Thursday. At the third annual meeting of the New Zealand Producers’ Co-opei'ative Marketing Association which had enjoyed what was described as a most satisfactory year, and looked tor ward with renewed confidence to the iutuie, the chairman of directors (Mr H.«J. Middleton) said that the shareholders must he quite satisfied with the conduct of the business. He congratulated those present on what he thought was , the phenomenal success of operations, especially in view of the tremendous opposition they had to face when the association was formed. The chaige was often made that the fanners could not handle the business end of then job, but it had not been borne out, because the Association could now be counted amongst the largest of daily produce exporting concerns in the Dominion. The history of the Association showed that they had acted absolutely on the right lines. Co-operation was now a world-wide movement amongst the primary producers. Mr R. Ellison, managing director ot the London Board, said that the Association had attained its present pc 3l " tion entirely owing to the fact that those who were responsible had the pluck and determination to hold on in spite of the adverse conditions existing at Home when they started, and in spite of the extraordinary fluctuations in the market and the keenest opposition they had carried on successfully. The distribution of dairy produce at Home was in the hands of the most capable men. Many firms there had been established for a lifetime; they had their regular clientele, and branches of their organisation extended throughout the length and breadth of the country. In spite of all this, the Association had been able to give returns to factories in New Zealand which it was pleasing to learn were regarded as very satisfactory. It was a great relief to him to hear the appreciative remarks which had been made. The career of the Association’s representatives in London was one of anxiety. Competition to-day was keener than ever it was before. They knew that although they were a young concern, from the inception of their business it was necessary for them to put themselves on the same plane as older firms, and show satisfactory returns. So long as they had a certain amount of competition on the outside market, there was always something to keep the Association up _ to the mark. He believed that their organisation to-day was responsible to some extent for keeping up their comnetitors to a higher standard than would otherwise have been the case. That was exemplified in the division of outputs. Mr Ellison then dealt with the conditions of the Home market, and said that the onlv possible wav to understand that business was by actually selling the goods. Arrangements bad been made by which the Association could keep in touch with the markets of the Old Country, and indeed with the markets of the -world. They could know exactlv what was happening, and that in itself was of great value, apart altogether from the o’uestion of selling their own produce. Mr Ellison described at some length the operations of the Association’s representatives throughout the United Kingdom and gave an interesting description of the features of the dairy produce trade at Homo.