WHAT REFRIGERATING AND THE BONUS SYSTEM HAS DONE FOR VICTORIA.

Waikato Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 3496, 20 November 1894, Page 8

WHAT REFRIGERATING AND THE BONUS SYSTEM HAS DONE FOR VICTORIA.

The Agricultural correspondent of an Australian p*per writes": - During a recent brief visit to Melbourne I investigated to some slight, extent the trade which is being done by Victoria in the exportation of frozen food to England, What four or five years ago wis a very small experimental business his now become a great commercial sucoeps, and promise* to soon reach enormous proportions, I/tst year Victoria shipped to London 7000 tow of butter, This year, or season, she is likely to send away about 11,000 tons of butter, 1000 tons of cheese, 100,000 rabbits uud hares, »nd 150,000 head of poultry. Before these figures the promised shipment from New South Wales of 2500 tons of butter sind some rabbits appears to be painfully insignificant. The contrast should cause all agriculturists of the larger colony to carefully look into the, matter. It is one in which rivalry will not be injurious to either of the parties concerned. There are in Britain good markets for much more butter, bacon, hams, poultry, and game than Australia is likely to export during the next 50 years, There need be little of secrecy about the way in which the shipping is done. What Melbourne is doing is left fairly open for any one to observe. The Secretary for Agriculture, Mr D. Martin, is most courteous to all visitors. • Mr David Wilson, the dairy expert, and Mr Byrne, the shipping officer, all officials of tin State, give inquirers full measure of satisfaction, It would appear that the export trade is flourishing and that they are rather proud of the fact that they are playing very important parte in conducting v, satisfactorily,;

GOVERNMENT SUPERVISION. " The export trade in the articles of food mentioned is almost completely under the care of the Government of Victoria, It is the Department of Agriculture which arranges for the rates of freight and the quantities of freight space in the frozen chambers. It is the department which receives the produce, and: it is its officers who examine every box of butter, every rabbit, and every chicken before passing it for shipment What is inferior or below a certain standard of quality ut rejected as unfit for exportation. Mr WilsM, who visited England recently, is now ever prominent with his advice to exporters, and the lesson which he strives to inculcate if that the shipment of inferior qualities of food from Australia to England simply means the injury of a trade which bids fair to become immensely beneficial to Australian agriculturists. Thus the department is at all times at war with the shabby man who desires to slip in his badly/made watered stuff into consumption. Mr Wilson speaks in severe terms of some shippers who live on the north side of the Murray, but consoles himself with the reflection that possibly the bad qualities of the noith may help to make the Victorian official brand all the more acceptable to Euwpe. But this State supervision was the outcome of the bonus system of Victoria. Mr Wilson says: "We spent £150,000 for the amount of education which we received, and now we may profit from that outlay. I consider the lessons were cheap at the price, and, besides this, we are still able to hold effective control of the trade." There is now no bonus given to exporters from Victoria. The trade rests upon sound commercial lines. The only held on the trade which the State can claim is the fact that it is the Department of Agriculture that has the agreement with the shipping companies. The latter speaking for the P. and 0. and Orient companies probably find it less troublesome to deal with the department than the producers, buying shippers, or agents. There should, in dealing with the Government, be less clerkly work in collecting the freights, but one part of the arrangement made by these ship companies is specially noteworthy, and that is the clauses of the agreement which secure for New South Wales and South Australia certiin proportions of space for their shipment of frozen dairy produce. There is no favour shown to any colony. The price of carriage is the same to them all, bat whatspecially stands to Victoria's credit is that her increase in the trade has caused a very huge reduction in the cost off freights.

In July last tbe Victorian Department of Agriculture issued instructions and regulations for shippers for the season 1894-5. These iwited shipments of butter, cheese, rabbits, hares, turkeys, geese, ducks, fowls, mutton, lamb, veal, and pork. The circulars contain practical directions and details of charges made for packing, handling, and supervision. The larger kind* of stock are subject to a charge of 5d per head. This covers receiving, storing, bagging, labelling, freezing, and shipping, and is made as low as possible, so as to provide the •hipping of mutton, veal, and lamb by small fanners. The charge per pair on fowls is 4d, on turkeys and geese Bd. Pigs will be received, slaughtered, and dressed at 3s 6d per head. Butter is sub. ject to a small charge • rabbits to Id per pir, hares 2d per pair. The shipper, be he producer or agent, has to sign an application agreeing to pay freight aiid charges, and in this way the buMness proceeds, the Government doing much of the work which ordinarily falls to the lot of shipping agents at Australian ports.