RUSH OF FRUIT TO MARKETS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 92, 12 January 1935, Page 8

RUSH OF FRUIT TO MARKETS

Harassed Auctiongers

PROBLEM OF THE ONE-CASE

BUYER

This is the height of the fruit season at the city markets. It is about three weeks ahead of the usual date, due to the long dry spell Wellington and other districts have experienced. Thousands of cases of peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, not to mention the “soft” fruits—strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, red and black currants—-are being unloaded from high lorries into the markets in Allen, Blair and Wakefield Streets, and just as rapidly are being sold and taken away. All fruit is cheap at this season of the year save oranges and mandarins. Peaches were being sold yesterday at anything from 1/6 to 2/6 a case, and splendid plums of good size and well packed could be obtained for 3/- per case.

Single-case Purchaser.

In normal times it is never difficult for the ordinary individual to purchase a single case of anything at the markets. But in the height of the jammaking season, when the orchards are spilling their rich harvests into the dingy markets, the auctioneers—coatless, waistcoatless and collarless—have to work at high speed. They do not want to sell a single case to Mrs. Smith if they can sell ten cases to Tie Hop. There are five big lorries backing into the docks, with fresh supplies which have to be sold that morning. On such occasions the perspiring auctioneer is apt to be a little curt, perhaps uncivil, to the one-ease buyer, who maj’ be perfectly innocent of the strain the auctioneer is undergoing to get 'along with his job.

Witness a scene in the markets yesterday. “There you are, one of the best lines of peaches,” said fhe sweating auctioneer. “What say? One and six—seven —eight. One and nine! Let ’em go. “One, please!” “Not selling one case—against tlie rules,” said the auctioueer, with some show of acrimony. “Nothing less than two cases—you people can put your heads together and buy two. What you do in that way is nothing to do with me!”

No Rush to Buy

As there was no rush for the peaches the auctioneer tried another tack. “Tell you what I’ll do—if you want a single case, two bob!”

To this there was again no response, so he put the whole stack of seven eases up in one lot, and got only 1/7 per ease. A Chinaman was the buyer. People who only require one case of fruit need not despair, however. While one or two auctioneers were standing on the two-case principle, others were quite prepared to do business on a one-case basis.