THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1543, 12 September 1912, Page 8

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

MAEKETING PBOBLEM DISCUSSED, CONCERNING COLD STORAGE. . Tlift marketing and cold storage of frui was tho subject of a recent address a Nnpior by Mr. J. A. Campbell, orchan .instructor. Tho marketing of fruit, tail Mr. .Campbell, was a wry iniportan 'question, ami tho present system raqnirei altering. This, to his mind, wis not i very ditlioult matter. What they had ti contend against ivas the annual gluttini of tho market, and tlio" 1 inoreased produc tion, which was likely to bring abou moro frequent glutting. Tho oidy way ti relievo a glutted market was to put lcs: fruit on tho markot, and that mean either that tho fruit had to bo stored 01 ■ 6oiuoi other outlet found for it. Tho in creased production simply meant i>n- ag grayation of the trouble, and to ccntoiu against it meant that other markets wen absolutely necessary. lint these market! wero not necessarily dutsido the country, although at tho samo time the opening up of markets outsido the country-sK.uk not bo lost sight of. There were three methods of disposing of the local fruitfirstly, the.further development of local markets; secondly, exporting; and, thirdly, canning and drying. With regard tc the local market, there were two forms oi marketing fruit within the Dominion-the open market and private trade :r direct . supply to the consumer. 'Whichever market .was being catered for, it was essential on the part of the grower to put out an honestly-packed, well-graded, reliable article. Regarding tho open market the chief thing was to relievo the glut during tho height of tho season. To do kis directly was to prolong the season by means of cool storage. The other aspect of tho local market was the private trade. In his opinion that was tho most important part of tho niarkcting question, and if properly developed would, to a very great extent, alter the whole position in reference to the fruitgrowing business The speaker thought he was quite right in saying that one half of the pepplo had little or no fruit at all. Hundreds of 'these people, especially thoso in.tho country, would be only too willing to buy fruit if they knew how to go about it. The trouble at tho present time' was that they did not know who to apply to for fruit that they could rely upon to be good. They did not know what it would cost in the first place, or what the intermediate charges would be.- He suggested that to overcome) this difficulty a traveller should bo sent out, and-that ho should arrange at the various railway,stations with carters for the delivery of fruit up to within a mile radius, advertise in the various newspapers, at railway stations, and at country stores. Many of the country grocers would handle the fruit for the growers, or would tako perhaps 20 or 30 cases a week if they could rely on getting what they wanted at a set price. In advertising something definite would be necessary—tho price would have to ho fixed a month in advance. The exact cost of delivery would be known to the grower, so that lie could advertise the cost per case delivered to within one mile of the railway station. Advertising costs money; but it was a, necessary expenditure in order to push a business. If such an organisation were carried out, he had no doubt it would be tho means of building up a large business that would go a long way towards relieving the open market. To carry this out properly cool storage would also'be necessary. Exporting was the second method of disposing of tho fruit, and should receive support in a reasonable measure from all growers, for the time was coming when a great deal would depend on the export trado. Tho speaker was strongly in favour of cooperation,' pooling, and central packing houses. -for the proper handling of tho fruit business, and it was very necessary for the individual fruitgrower to make himself! proficient-in tho .proper, methods of grading" and'packing. . 'With regard to the canning and drying of fruit, tho speaker simply wished to mention that the Department of Agriculture had plans and specifications, copies of which would shortly be circulated. They estimated that the cost of a factory with a capacity of 4000 cans per day would 1 be ,£2IOO complete. Mr. Campbell quoted figures regarding the cost of construction of cool stores at Doucaster (Victoria), which he had every reason to believe were absolutely reliable. A cool store with a capacity of 10,000 cases cost: For building ,£1920, 10-ton Lindo refrigerator i£9G5,. 36 h.p. Crossley suction gas plant .£405; total/£3380. There was very little, exoense .in..maintaining a properly insulated plant. The estimated receipts, assuming that the quantities mentioned .would be handled in bushel cases at a cost of ljd. per week, were as follow:— 10,000 cases, .£62,105.; 8000, .£.io; 6000, J37.105.; .5000, .£3l 55.; 4000, £25; 2000, .£l2 10s.; 1000, £6. 55.; 500. £3 2s. 6d.; assuming . that tliero would bo on an average for the four months in the year 5000 cases at Id. per week £20 16s. Bd., or an average of £83 6s. Bd. per month. Ono penny per cose is charged for tho months of July to October inclusivo, before: and after those months ljd. per case is charged. The figures were based on' the erection and working of the Government cool stores in Doiicaster, Vic-'; toria. Mr. Campbell concluded by saying that plans and specifications for a cool store of a capacity of 4000 cases, with machinery suffioient for 10,000 cases, had been prepared by the Department of Agri-' culture, copies of which would be avail-! able in a short time. The estimated cost of one 1 of these chambers was £1700.