NEW ZEALAND FRUIT

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 128, 26 November 1929, Page 16

NEW ZEALAND FRUIT

FEATURES OF THE SEASON

NORFOLK'S BAD SHIPMENT

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 4th. October.

Speaking broadly, said Mr. H. E. Stephens, representative of the New Zealand Fruit Board, New Zealand apples this season in England and on the Continent—excluding cool-store fruit have averaged about 13s per ease, or 2s 6d per case more than last year. Although the figures are not yet completed, Mr. Stephens says-that this year better prices have been obtained for fruit consigned to ports other than

London,

There were four shipments to Glasgow, one to Manchester, two to Liverpool, one to Cardiff (transhipped from Avonmouth), three to Avonmouth, one to Hamburg, four to Rotterdam (and one transhipment), seven to Southampton, and fourteen to London. New-castle-on-Tyne was served from , Glasgow and Manchester, and Birmingham was supplied from London. The Australian apple output was short, so that New Zealand benefited. The South African output of pears was not as good as usual, so again New Zealand gained an advantage.

The Dominion, was undoubtedly lucky, because the apples, taken as a whole, were> not as good as they have been previously, and the pears, on the whole, were not satisfactory this year. No doubt the wet weather in New Zealand during the development period had something to do with the less satisfactory condition of both kinds of fruit.

There were one or two ■ good shipments of pears, but the bulk of the fruit was either too forward or else definitely had waste in them. The best of them were good only for immediate sale. They could not be held to try and force up prices at all because they arrived ready for immediate consumption. To ensure a good price pears should arrive here hard and green, and then they can be put on the market as required.

THE NOEFOLK APPLES,

There is no getting away from the fact that the bad shipment of apples brought by the Norfolk has considerably shaken the confidence of buyers. Claims are still coming with demands for allowances on account of the fruit which, the bill of lading notified was affected with green mould, mouldy core, bitter pit, black rot; Jonathans and Delicious fully matured.

The greatest pity, perhaps, was on Continental account, for New Zealand apples were beginning to make a good reputation when this bad stuff came along. Buyers in Southern Germany did not know whether this was to be- a common occurrence.

The entire shipment was affected, the apples breaking down quickly after discharge. They appeared fairly sound on discharge, but broke down very rapidly. The Norfolk happened to arrive when the weather was very hot, and in Germany, too, there was a very hot spell, so the weather conditions were not helpful, and the fruit was rapidly finished off. The heat probably helped to develop the latent troubles. 'It so happened that this was the only consignment transhipped from London to Germany, for the other vessels with apples for the Continent had gone to Eotterdam and had landed the cases direct. The Norfolk fruit was sent over in a Dutch boat as general cargo. Mr. Stephens had to make a special visit to Qermany to placate the buy-

ers, and to explain the circumstances. This meant a good deal of travel in the Bhine towns and through the Ruhr district. Fortunately, the fruit landed from a previous boat was in cool store, and in splendid condition, so the damaged fruit was replaced as quickly as possible, and confidence was restored. But big allowances had to be made.

In British markets, too, the effect was rapidly apparent, for buyers who had been in the habit of ordering two hundred cases at a time began asking for five cases or ten. Claims came in week after week.

After such an unfortunate experience authorities in New Zealand will doubtless see to it that there is no recurrence. It takes a long time for a new business to be established in British and Continental markets, and gratifying work of the past can be badly checked by a risky shipment like the one under notice. The good name of New Zealand becomes affected, for the excellent standard of her produce has become generally recognised. That reputation must be lived up to.