OUR APPLE MARKETS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1995, 28 February 1914, Page 8

OUR APPLE MARKETS.

• '-' QUESTIONS OF SUPPLIES.' ! How to provent a- glut in tho fruit • market is tho unsolved problem that is always- worrying tho growers and fruit .merchants. in.Mow .Zealand. • One who' is; .interestcd.'ia." tho.' .tradeinformeda DoMisios; TCpbrter; ;that/!so:.ftir,'.in New . -Zealand it was.liot.possible to 'prevent a, glut at-certaitt ; times- a: • year. Ho instanced tho caso- of apples. Our risvn season commenced at tho end of January,- and-lasted up to July. Then, as' soon as the duty was taken - off .-'apples - from Tasmania, shippers , began - to'stnd.Vsupplies alftng, arid-they con-'i to arrivo during ithe open season , f (froin''Jtlly .l 4' to the eiid-of-September), ' :but .'before thattimo was up they' had ■'American.; apples. coniing in/from,, say, tho. end'of'.October, and as thdy.wero j fresher ;ind -more; attractive, ;. tho .late jHobart' supplies' ' suffered. But as rthiiflgs trcre; arriiriged ,now r i- tho Ameri- ! can' shipper, rankibus .to hang oh to tho ; market,- continued; to; send; supplies, (Until his apples woro .competing, with |the -tearly-looal suppiios,'' and 'conk&.c|Uen'tly ';tliQ'-'.price of ''both ' rccisded. .What .was''.'needed . was"! careful "regula- ■ tion'/of supplies.'* Even that would not , lJrevcnt a glut'.at :timos, ;biit ,tho glut would -not he so. marked wero - the • sup- , ipliijs .nvpro -^rdgulated. 7 jVlariy. of- tlie fruit-growers, complained : that the, Gbvernment.;.,. was not ~' doing ■ for, them, y but iii tho . opinion: of ' purr.iiifcirniani-the.'.Gttvernmeht^,-tlicl' a i eroat dear'fdr\tlro;;fruit-growers.. '.'l'liey ! carried ;f ifuifc; from; Auckland,to'. Wellifig'.tnn- for- Is; ; a-' case, -and' were eternally dry-nursing the orchardist with frea;ad,ticf).'..:aM.. practicalV demonstrations Vin growing tlio, .differ? ciit- varieties-of fnnt.,' It,w'as.fhe fruit-' , farmer; himseltV who as' often as riot' was - He tM?- , y''Pf-^. , ?»se".where : a' Nelson "orchard- ; Ist- - cold-stored..consignment', of, - winter -.. • Nclis apples, arid, ■ realising .them:-'-wlieix thp market Was good, obtained." good":, prices, ■ Whbn got -rovindi-thc .'farmers 'all".said.: '-"liet-.us -put- tlio Wliolo l of )Our; late ap- ! -tlifriking'Uiat they, - .so---many-;available : ''the' result iras"tllat. •prices- oaiild iibtybo, nearly- so good; and - tl^ri|i®3r-%inßlSm'ea r ,, them ''-.liow-'tlieyrore'^'dbing|'and'--they"iiearly,'all fcdrifes'S t6'ho'.thrivirig'.",r , y;'Thore''w'erp 7 times'"when;; plums'..' and. jpeaehes tho" Wellingtonmarkets.- ; Tho so wbrti glut's that .could bo .prevented. . WhoiV'diio - Saw plums being sold at Is. 6d'.. or\2s,. "a_case, there could Jiofc possibly -be-'mucli-ih. it for the jgroWer,:-afttf! JieThas, paid '6d. for the ctise',- freight;- cartagoi and'eommissidri. ■ -Btt^-ffieire^yas. v -' of tlib sbft fruit;,Jt. cpuld'ftdt.be'koiiiij' arid ihust be rid': of I 'at .;diy' cost^'-'iminbdiately;':iii-loss-.'; to . the! Erpwer.'-iAtherican^fruit-people Lad told. l)imvthat- ; tli'at.'iriiist-b'o -caso -uiltil' Ltlidfe" Aver&; : cSiinfei'ies'.* a'nd : 'j 4m' f hctones, ,'egta.jblislied'.to ; <eat* iix>- 'As; . - on'--.^eeouiit.' : .'iof - jhigir.w.ages yrnlmg i "th ingsr better Jria Ataerica;' whdre - a h and - ..very scMoru:t'ouclied. thttfruit—it'wis. all' man-' : ■' ca im iri g,T) us i'nes s' of . -.' In ; 'Aniericay('Viiiero,- .of coirrsfii' they 'liad an to cater for, tlie fraitgrbAersVcbirihined intoi huso associations,y which; had. their'; agents—sinatt,. ' big-saiiy-ied. men—in lever/, city and tewn,-wliose-solo business was to. keep tlie associations pbstwl as to tho times to consign or: riot 'consign ;to that partic'u- ' lar. centre. He. finds out exactly, what is.on the-tnicks coming from other dis-tricts,;-and at onbe-advises liis .principals. But there they are' big .people with plenty of money, , and that system could hardly bo adopted in-New Zealand. The best tliey could do was to. regulate tlie supplies as' much as possible, particularly. iu regard to fruit tliat has to be, imported' at certain-seasons 0;f tie year.