MARKETING OF APPLES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 28, 28 October 1942, Page 2

MARKETING OF APPLES

Rationing Of Supplies

The steps being taken to dispose of the remaining stocks of apples in cool storage at a maximum retail price of fid. a pound were referred to by the Minister of Marketing, Mr. Barclay. He said that, in collaboration with the Internal Marketing Division, the Price Tribunal had prepared a price order, which became operative as irom Monday, fixing the wholesale price of apples at 13/6 a case and the retail price at 6d. a pound. All wholesale distributors had had Seven days’ notice of this new procedure, and had been requested to advise all their retail clients immediately so that they could clear any stocks of apples bought at. wholesale prices m excess of 13/6 a case. - The Minister said that the quantity of apples available to the public from now till the end of the year was strictly limited, as it was conditioned entirely bv the amount of cool storage space available. It was considered, therefore, that the fairest policy to adopt was to ration the fruit on to the market as far as possible in even monthly quantities, and at the same time fix a retail price which would enable all_ sections of the public to purchase their appro-, priate share of the supplies available. Retailers were asketl to.co-oerate with tlie Government in making this procedure a success by ensuring that fruit would be fairly apportioned among their regular customers. . Every effort would be made by the Internal Marketing Division to make the existing supplies last till the end of next month and possibly into the first week of December, but whether this could be achieved depended entirely on how the fruit continued to hold in cool store, as it would be better to increase the quantity of fruit on to the market than incur any risk of wastage through deterioration. It was hoped that, with every indication of favourable' climatic coiftlitions, new season’s stone fruit, would be available very shortly after existing stocks of apples were exhausted.