THE PRICE OF FRUIT

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1720, 10 April 1913, Page 10

THE PRICE OF FRUIT

■ WHO' Giyrs THE PROFITS? -".'Tlio' question 'of who gets the profit between the prico received for fruit by the ;grower "and the p'ricp at which, the .fruit "is ,sold,.in the; retail shops was discussed nt; tlio: half-yearly meeting of tho Nelson I'ruitgrowers' Association. /Mr. Nottago l ■moved: .tho Department of ; Agriculture bo.nske'd'to mako -careful notes, . over Several months, of prices realised daily- in Wellington for .various, classes lof-New Zealand-grown fruit, and (b) tho prices charged to • the consumer in retail shops for a similar class of goods. . ' Mr..\Nottage said tho information asked for would bo of very great ivaluo to tho gr ( ower. There was a big' difference between the price l-eceivcd' by 'tlio grower and .tlio price ticketed cn the friiit displaced in the shop .windows. - There was a leak somowhefe, and tlio information would assist them' to find out ;wher,e tho leak; was. - ■ v . ' Mr. P.. R. Hallam seconded tho , motion. ■ '-. • ■ ' , Mr. Holdaway did; not' think- any good | purposo would be served if tho ihform.itiok was supplied. Tlio, remedy ■ was in their own hands, if the grower anil-con-I sumer took adyantago oB -tha post office scheme. Tho chairman- said tlio information would no doubt'be of value, but-person-ally he thought tbero would bei difficulty inibbtaining :;it. ~ .. , 3Xr. ]virk,.Director of tho Orchards Division of tlie Department. of Agriculture, saiji he ',WOul'd';;bp only toj pleased to assist in.-ilie matter,. but with their pi-e----serit'.meagi&staif .it.would be impossible to?send a-iii'an ; -round every day in tho week for several months to. tho auction rooms and afterwards to tho, shops. . Mr. AUporf : said thopresent system was rotten. Ho would like to seo the auctioneers wiped out. So long as the fruit went through so 'many bands tho prico to the consumer would .be high. Mr. Kirk said .the Hawlte's Bay.Pruit •Company bad its' own depot in Wellington. Would it not, he asked, bo possiblo foi; Nelson, to join them. Could tho association not i encourage tho barrow men, nojithat he wits,against the shops, but the more barrow-men there were the more friiit .waa-sold.. , Thq^wjjpl,"daily" was omitted from the remit' by .'consent, and Mr. Kir-lr said he would endeavour to send a man round onco a week'to got the information re-quired..--The motion, as amended, was thsii "carried on tho voices.