SALE OF FRUIT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 44, 16 November 1918, Page 2

SALE OF FRUIT

STRINGENT ACTION BY GOVERNMENT

CARGOES OF CITRUS FRUITS TO

BE COMMANDEERED

• Tho Government notice respecting the sale of oranges and lemons at a price not to exceed ;>d. each placed the dealers in a peculiar position. A Dominion reporter visited the markets at 10 a.m. yesterday to find that the very limited supplies of oranges were being sold wholesale at from Ji'i to £'i Us. per ease. That may not convoy tho fullest significance to tho public until it is stated that the cases originally contained 1.70 sound oranges, and there were from one to two dozen wholly or partly bad at time-of purchase, when tho cost will be found to work out at over 4U..cach whole sale. Island oranges, without accounting for bad ones, were sold at 1 UOd. eiich-probably lid. each when picked over. Other cases of orange*, obviously not full, realised sjd. end.. I'ho dealers, realising their responsibilities (in. view of the Government proclamation), offered to buy all the oranges m the market aL3d. each, and sell them again to the public of cost (throwing in cartage, labour, aiid paper-bags tor nothing), but the merchants would not listen to them, and continued to sell at tho price* above (j noted, mostly to Chinese. Some of the Chinamen were asked how they proposed to get their money back, and tliey taid they would send their fruit into the country, whero tho need for-citrus fruit was just as 'urgent as in town. Other dealers, who, held'small'stocks, were selling them in small quantities at" tlie fixed price/but found that some-of the Chinamen were sending boys to "buy them at 3?. a do?.?'., itnil were selling tnem again at 6s. a dozen. " Deputation to the Minister. Knowing this to bo a wrong procedure! a deputation, consisting of Messrs:- W. C. Buige, .Sharp and Co., and H. Stanbridge, waited upon Sir Francis Bell to point out the situation. They.explained tlie prices that the oranges «ere being sold at in the markets, from..£2 105.,t0 .W lis. a case for Sydney and Californian oranges. Sir Francis Bell said that they would not bo able to seil them for more than 3d., each. What would they do with them? .-- s ' Mr. Stanbridge said that probably somo cf them would hang on to thorn. Sir Francis Bell: Then it will be well for them to know that any holding back stock will' have them seized. Every perse:: who sells an orange or a lemon for more than 3d. is liable to a penalty of JCiiOO. ' Mr. Biirge: Some -of tha Chinamen ■say they will send them to i'heir businesses in the country. Sir Francis Bell: Thej wilt not bo allowed to do so!under tho'proclamation. There must bo no roovo sold wholesale over the fixed price. . Mr. Burge: How aro you going to prevent it? Sir Francis Boll;. There h no process to prevent anyone breaking the lawthere is no process to prevent a man from committing murder—buc they could be prosecuted afterwards. But if I seize all these oranges what am I to doMvith them?' Mr. Stanbridge: We.are prepared to take them at the fixed price, and sell I hem at cost, without any charge for labour, cartage, or bags. Sir Francis Doll: Very good. I'll take a note of "that, and I'll have to extend the Order-in-Couneil to the whole of New Zealand. II was suggested that the Government should "commandeer the whole of tho citrus fruits, coming into New Zealand. Sir Francis" Bell said that would be done. He said specifically that all the oranges and lemons on the next Sydney teat would bo commandeered at once. ; An Embargo, / It was also suggested that an embargo might be placed on the railways carrying this fruit out of Wellington to the country, a hint that was at once seized upon, by. tire .Minister. The members of the deputation produced all exhibit in the form of a case 'of oranges (not filled) which had been purchased at tho markets within tho hour by Mr. W. H. Long for tho Wellington Hospital. Tire receipt (produc-od)-'showed that .£2 4s. had 'been paid for the case. On counting tho oranges it was found to .contain 88 6ound oranges (98 in all), so that the wholesale price worked out to Cd. each, and ■a shade under that for every orange iu the case. lieferring to the matter of price, one merchant—who had sent all his supplies .of citrus fruits to tho Town nail—stated that the only way to deal with tiro situation was for tho Government to commandeer all shipments of citrus fruits arriving in New Zealand.

Shortage of Supplies.

It is unfortunate that the .present time was one of' tine very-worst for years experienced in Wellington as regards citrus fruits, indeed for nil fruit.". One dealer with fourteen years' experience in the business in Wellington, said he could not remember such a shortage ever having occurred before. His remarks did not apply lo oranges and lemons (tho latter nro now unobtainable) but to other fruits and vegetables. Californian apples, somewhat shrivelled, too, wero sold yesterday at the markets for ,£1 a case (101b.) Without piclting out the bad ones (and there wero always some), that price worked out to fid. per lb. wholesale, ■ winch meant Sd. or 9d. per lb. retail. Locally"lwvn Stunners also shrivelled, brought from 15s. to 17s. a case, and tomatoes Is !)d. to 2s. 3d. per lb. He had paid yesterday moroiftff Cs. 2d. for one large bundle of rhubarb, and on top of it all Australian potatoes were jumped from £11 10s. to Jll6 pea' ton yesterday.

ORANGES AND LEMONS

MAXIMUM PRICES FIXED FOR

DOMINION

A Gazette Extraordinary ■ issued last night contain? an Order-in-Council fixing the maxiiiniiu„wholesale and retail prices of oranges and lemons in New Zealand. The schedule states:—, _ "The maximum wholesale price in New Zealand of oranges and lemons ot the best quality shall he S!»d. to each oraii'e or lemon; and the maximum wholesale prico in New Zealand ot oranges and lemons of u quality inferior to the best quality shall be the standard wholesale price of oranges and lemons of the same quality as on November, 1918,. but not exceeding m any case -ju. for each orange or lemon,. _ _ "The maximum retail price in iNow Zealand of oranges and lemons of ho best quality shall be 3d. for each orange or lemon; and the maximum rcM £"« in New Zealand of oranges and lemons Of i quality inferior to the .best quality shall be the standard retail price of oi'iKC and lemons of the same quality mot November 1, 1918, but not exceedinVjn ««* raso 3IK for CMII ° rallge ° k'lTordor to prevent dealers in fruit « using to sell at these prices a warr, has been issued to all olhcers ot nolice and-persons acting under their direction to seize and take possession on 1 nlinlf of II is Majesty of all oranges and mm s v lin tie City of Wellington She adjoining boroughs. If a dealer fruit refuses to sell to any person „t or under the maximum price, such arson is requested to ■communicate at once wit lithe police in order that immediate steps may be takon against tno offender. .