STRAWBERRY CROP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 656, 5 November 1909, Page 7

STRAWBERRY CROP.

■ -V':" ' 'I V,-':;' i •' : ; TUB WELLINGTON .MAEKET.. tur toletrfcab.-l'Mss A ssocl ati UII.I ■ Auckland, November 4. :, The strawberry; crop is . teaching , maturitv, and 'in about'a fortnight liotvvyV Applies of 'fi-uit will, bo riponiilg bailj*. . i'l'ho prospects of\ putting this-perishablo fruit oh tho l Wellington : market appear at present to bo. Htiill. Tho lick oi facilities for sending: perishable goods W Wollmgton was explained to-doy.by Mri J. B. Tonar,'of -the Waitomatii Fruitgrowers' Co- : operative Socioty. 'Mr. 'l'ohar Siiia th'at in previous seasons it bod beon tho practice to send strawberries to Wellington via l the West Coast/ the journey-occupying something liko 3ft hours. . Since, tho opening, of the Main Trunk lino, how- >. ever, tho steamer service from Onehunga' in, I Now-Plymouth; had been-curtailed', to sUoh in ; extent that this route-was ho longer practicable i rhero: remained the East Coast rome and the 1 Main Trunk line. ; Consignments , could, be sent i down tho East Coast twice weekly, - but they,' ! took three days to. reach their-destination. If > sent by the ordinary goods train down the Haiiv 1 Trunk line they took two days at : least, and ofr ten longer. Assuming, however, tliat tho journey was accomplished in that; best 1 part of a.wcok elapsed from tho time .the fruit > was pioked lb the timo it was*marketed. 1 As 1 an example of how uncertain the railage of !, fruit .was, Mr; Tontw mentionedthat ho had - dispatched a crate to Wellington on Monday at - express 'rates; 'and had this morning (Thursday) ; reoeived a telegram-inquiring as to its wher-v 1 abouts. The .facilities for Au'ickj'tallage of r goods from Auckland to Wellington. Mr. Tonftr s added,, were worse than ten years ago. It ap1. pears that correspondence, has passed'behveen • the society and tho Railway Department relaj tive to the establislimoflt of an express goods 1 service, but, 1 though fruitgrowers are willing to • pay any reasonable rate to'land fruit at Wel--5 Imgton, tho Department declines to meet them. »' StrMvberries : were soiling, up to. Is.-id.-, per lb. • Wholesale to-day, but the average price was ts. 9 lid. Tho quantity forward was not large, but the supply should ! increase fairly rapidly from now on. v -\ ..