WHERE AUSTRALIA EXCELS..

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3242, 12 June 1911, Page 2

WHERE AUSTRALIA EXCELS..

SUPERIOR FOODSTUFFS.

AHEAD OF AMERICA AND CAN-

ADA

“Yes, I do say there are good inducements for a trade between Australia and America in mutton, butter, and beef,” said Mr. Arthur Kidman, avlio recently returned to Sydney from' a visit to Europe and America. “A few years ago I offered to supply mutton to America at 3sd to 3£d per lb. if I could provide the same shipping arrangements as av© had between Australia and London. The Americans laughed, and. said it was impossible. I have made nine journeys to Canada and America during the last 12 years. In December last I told, the Americans we could supply meat at a price Av-hich Avould not be more than 34d a lb. Then papers tried to ridicule it as impossible. They Said Australian beef had not reduced the price in London, Avhich is nonsense. “I then authorised my agent to state that I was prepared) to supply 30,000 to 50,000 carcases of mutton at a price I had named my responsibility to end when the mutton was landed at the AA-harf, New York, Since then I have heard no more from those avlio ridiculed the project. There is a big margin for profit in sending mutton to America. You cannot buy decent mutton there under about lOd. At times it costs more.”

Mr.'Kidman thought there was also room for a good trade in butter AAdth America and Canada. Canadian and American butter bad a lot of 'leew&y to make up t.efore any comparison could be made with the Australian product. Speaking generally, their methods of producing butter Avere entirely Avrong. whereas Australia had got almost all sections of that industry doAvn to a fine art. .Canada and the U.S.A. had not enough co-operating milk suppliers to encourage the building of sufficient up-to-date butter factories. They did not churn as frequently as' av© do. Consequently their product usually represented a mixture of fresh and stale cream. The small hand separator AA r as very freely used, and also the small indiA’idual churn. Thus it Avas impossible to produce - a good article. Of course, there Avere exceptions. Nevertheless, the greater part of the butter produced in Cahada and the United States of America. AA'as much inferiorbo the Australian. The co-operatrie system had not made much head'way vvitli them They make enormous quantities of Avhat Ave Avould term dairy and pastry butter, and it was placed, on their markets. The butter Avas supposed to contain not more than 16 per cent- of moisture, but he had frequently seen the water running out of the corners of the boxes, Avhich Avere saturated Avith .moisture. To his mind a large percentage of all their butter contained fully 20 per cent of moisture, or CA r en more. They added an enormous amount of salt in their churnings, Avhich made the butter quite too salty for the Australian and English taste. The American and Canadian butter dealers marketed very large quantities of milled butter ; that- Avas to say stale butter mixed with fresh butter and a further admixture of salt and water. He had seen large quantities of pastry butter Avorked up in this way, and then made up into prints and sold -as first firstclass butter. Canada and America could not become serious competitors of Australia in the Avorld’s butter market until they completely altered their methods.

Trade in Australian food products generally Avith America and Canada should have showed more extension than it has done. If our goods Avere properly placed before them and Avell advertised and appreciable increase in the exportation of Australian and meat must folloav. The business must be carefully handled, particularly in the initial stages. If reciprocity materialises 1 between Canada and the United States the exportations of Australian food products to Canada must- undoubtedly increase.

The food stores or markets throughout England, Canada, and America (particularly the two latter countries) were equipped on very much more up-to-date lines than in Australia, and from a hygienio and attractive point of vieAV alone provided a good object-lesson for the majority of our oavh retail perishable food stores. Almost every butcher’s shop, poulterer/ and dairy product salesman’s Avas installed Avith small chiiling-rooms, in Avhich about a week or ten days’ supplies could.be held. They had separate chilling-rooms for all nerishable foods, including poultry, fish, butter, etc. The temperature range considerably lower in North America, Canada, and the United Kingdon than in Australia. If it was found necessary to adopt the method referred to in our comparatively hot climate. The most striking feature of the whole system as against ours AA'as that the goods were neA’-er exposed until actually..sold to the consumer; and that in the middle of summer the goods looked bright and attractive, and AA'ere clean. There Avas an absence of flabbiness so often seen where meat Avas openly exposed to the elements when offered for sale. It only required l some enterprising firm to- take the initiative, and success Avas assured. In answer to a auestion as to Argentine competition, Mr Kidman said the Argentine people had concentrated their efforts on the London trade. The reasons of their success were their more perfect organisation, their more regular shipping, and the better preparation of the meat generally. The meat Avas not better than Australian meat, but the distance to London being much shorter the bulk of the meat Avas chilled, not frozen, and coma,tided better prices.