PRICES FOR FRUIT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 40, 19 January 1943, Page 7

PRICES FOR FRUIT

APPARENT ANOMALIES

REGULATIONS FLOUTED In a recent article in the official organ of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation .the retail trade was accused of openly flouting the regulations, governing the .sales of fruit, and, by making their supply of apples available on'ly to selected customers, causing an acute shortage for the general public. A tremendous wastage of different varieties of fruit has occurred during the last j r ear as. a result of the minimum price being fixed. The retail price ceiling certainly safeguards the public and prevents undue profiteering, but the benefits from the fixed minimum price appear doubtful, as the buyers: refuse to pay the fixed price for fruit that is damaged or over-ripe, and the sellers are unable, to sell it for -less. Lemons, -which are bought from the grower for 4s or 4s fid a case cost the retailer anything from 18s to £1 a case, while more has to be added to this before the public can obtain them. Naturally enough, there are many inquiries from the public as to what happens to the extra l is or l(!s. Many retailers ace not receiving cured lemons, and even at the. exhorbitant price charged there is a considerable amount of waste. One of the explanations offered for the scarcity and high cost of fruit is that it is being absorbed by the forces, but unless it is a military secret which has not yet been released, nothing has been heard about soldiers being fed on cherries, strawberries or oranges.