FRUIT MARKETING

Evening Post, Issue 37, 12 August 1936, Page 5

FRUIT MARKETING

METHODS CRITICISED

A public meeting under the auspices of ■ the Melrose-Houghton Bay branch of the New Zealand Labour Party was held recently in .the district hall. Mrs. Stewart presided. \ Mr. J. W. Ranson gave an address on New Zealand fruit marketing, the conditions of which he considered to be among the worst of any developed country in the world. Many of the premises, he said, were antiquated, and the methods primitive, lacking facilities for the effective handling of a volume of gpods. The number of markets operating in the various cities made prices chaotic, and at times firms close to one another sold goods, identical in quality and description, at different prices within the space of a few minutes. This caused consternation to grower, retailer, and consumer alike. Mr. Ranson • spoke of fraudulent packing, and criticised past Governments for not stopping the practice. Standardisation, he believed, would be brought in by the present Government. This would'help to'stabilise prices and keep much inferior production off the market.' . • He described'his experiences over a long period of years in attempting to bring about better trading conditions, and stated that there was often a lack of determination by retailers at critical times, consequently the same old practices continued year after year. He maintained that the only practical way to lessen the gap between the price the grower received and the consumer paid was by the complete elimination of the present uneconomic system and the establishment of one control under one roof. A municipal market, which he advocated, would prove" a great-as-set to this city. Properly managed, it would result in better prices to growers and cheaper prices to the consumer, and the elimination of many of the present undesirable practices. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the speaker. The following resolutions were passed by the meeting:—(l) That this meeting is in favour of one control for the distribution of fruit and vegetables; (2) that this meeting favours the early formation of a'consumers' protection association.