DOMINION PRODUCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18203, 2 March 1929, Page 6

DOMINION PRODUCE.

GREAT FIELD IN NORTHERN ENGLAND. LIVERPOOL MAN IN TIMARU. “It is impossible to create a demand for New Zealand produce in the northern parts of England unless we can be assured of a steady supply,” said Mr R. Watson Rome, trade assistant to the general manager of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, to a “Herald” reporter yesterday. Mr Rome, who is also the representative of the Liverpool Produce Exchange, the Liverpool Fruit Brokers’ Association, the Liverpool United Trades Association, and the Liverpool Meat Importers’ Association, is at present touring the Dominion with the object of promoting” a greater degree of direct trade between New Zealand and Liverpool. Mr Rome pointed out that for years New Zealand exporters had looked on London as their one and only market, and consequently the whole of the produce shipped from this country was landed there. Liverpool was the economic distributing port for a population of over 20,000,000 people, but in spite of this Liverpool had to draw 80 per cent, of its New Zealand requirements from London. Frozen meat from New Zealand, once it reached London, had to be placed in barges, taken up the river, placed in cool stores, and later railed to the far north, thus subjecting it to a good deal of handling, to say nothing of the change in temperatures, which did not improve the appearances of the Dominion’s products. Furthermore, it would be seen that if there were direct shipments, ensuring regularity andcontinuity of supply, the northern, market could be developed to the advantage of the New Zealand producer. All the other countries had decentralised their markets, rnd if New Zealand was to compete with foreign competition, she would have to do likewise, or be left behind. The Dominion’s competitors had practised this for some years, and the fact that they were continuing to make direct shipments, proved that the policy was a sound one. Mr Rome went on to say that Liverpool had the facilities, and all it wanted was the Dominion’s produce direct and not through a roundabout method. Records had proved that Liverpool prices were as good as, if not better than those obtained in London, and the cost of redistribution was decidedly in favour of Liverpool. In confirmation of this point, Mr Rome stated that, generally speaking, about 34 per cent, of the New Zealand produce which was landed in London was railed to the north of England. The cost of railing between London and Liverpool was over £2 per ton, and a glance at the map would show that the difference in favour of Liverpool for distributing the produce to the Midlands and the north of England could be reckoned in pence, as against pounds. Liverpool received about 3 per cent, of the world’s output of butter, and 9 per cent-, of cheese, whereas London received 52 per cent., and 70 per cent, respectively, rix the case of fruit last season, the London market was overwhelmed, while the north was starved. The natural result was poor prices,, and speculators came in and bought cheaply on account of the glut. When they re-sold, they made huge profits, which would have been better placed in the hands of the producers. Asked how the Dairy Control Board viewed the policy of direct shipments, Mr Rome stated that both boards had received his suggestions very favourably, and were giving their support with a view to bringing about a more frequent direct service between New Zealand ports and the west coast of England. A considerable proportion of the steamers taking produce to London went to west coast ports to load out, and one could readily see the huge saving in operating expenses, if, to start with, two boats a month could be loaded direct to the west coast Liverpool had 39 miles of quays and 8,000,000 cubic feet of cool storage accommodation, in addition to the most up-to-date methods of handling traffic by road, rail and water. Liverpool imported over 1,000,000 tons of grain a year, and the annual output of its mills was 4,000,000 sacks of flour. It was the largest soap-making district in Britain, and for this tallow was indispensable. Jt also absorbed about one-third of the 140,000 hides tanned in England every year, so there- were few com modi tips produced in New Zealand for which Liverpool did not afford a ready market. Having had his attention drawn to a statement that the trend of Britain’s population was from north to south, Mr Rome made haste to explain that this statement had apparently been made in the hope that it would help to increase tliq already too great quantity of both Australian and New Zealand produce that is shipped to London. To equalise the population in the Midlands and north oi England, nearly 3,000,000 people would have to be transferred to the south. London’s area. This naturally turned attention to London's unemployed. What about the housing p rob'em and the hundreds of millions of pounds invested in the northern area in factories, machinery, etc., he asked ? W hat übput the national climatic conditions and water, which had made Bradford, for instance, famous throughout the world for its woollen goods, Lancashire for cotton, Sheffield for steel, and so on? When •die people in New Zealand read statements like that, let them ask themselves these questions. The Midlands and North were still progressing, and during the past 18 months, ten new works had been put into operation. It was estimated that London to-day received about 50 per cent, of the lal import of butter, and 70 per cent, of the total imports of cheese, yet she could only economically cater for 171 million of the 40 million population of Great Britain. Was not that saturation of one market ?—a policy of concentration carried to uneconomical extreme, whilst Liverpool 200 miles north, which could more economically cater for over 20 million people, had, owing to the present New Zealand policy of concentration on London, to draw such a large proportion of its requirements from that market.