Local Marketing of Fruit

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 156, 20 July 1937, Page 6

Local Marketing of Fruit

THE PRICE BASIS Government "Not Going To Ruh Ship on Rocks" MR. BRASH'S REVIEW The Hawke's Bay provincial confer•nce of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers ' Federation, Ltd., was opened this morning in the Oddfellows' Hall, Hastings. The chairman, Mr. A. M. Robertson, presnded. Delegates were prpsent from both islands. Mr. Eobertson, in opening the meetings reviewed the aetivities of the branch during the past year. He mentioned in parfcicular the canning indus- , try and the development of other by- ' products of the fruit industry. Tho prospects in Hawke's Bay for fruit canning, he said, were very bright. He quoted the large imports of tinned pears and peaehea, and pointed out that Hawke's Bay had the oppoTtunity to ■upply New Zealand with tinned fruits. Mr. T. C. Brash, Dominion president #f the federation, said that the federatiori was the one entixely voluntary organisation eovering all of New Zealdnd. In the *ups and downs of the depression it had never presented a balance-sheet ■howing a loss — a fact of which all. we rQ proud. Ghanges had never come about ,so xapidly as in the last two years — cEanges affecting the fabric of the eommunity and the organisations in it. Inereased costs and incrcased taxation had made the burden heavier for alL It had been intimated by the Hon. Walter Nash that the fruit industry would he taken over under the guaran-teed-price scheme, but tho indications now -were that the guarpiteed minimum •would be darided on-with insfcead. Mr. Nash said he preferxed this system, believing that the -fariner should have soma. responsibility in the marketing of Lls own fruit. There had been some dieagreement, he said, over the wages ±or orehard workers, but these had *ow heen fixed by the Government. It had heen expected that the wages would he on the same basis as for the dairy farmer, but the wages had been fixed oh a higher scale, sendihg up costs considerably, particularly in the busy part of the season, when considerable overtime was necessary. The wages were proving a heavy hnrden on the industry, but he doubted whether it would be possible eyer to get them lower once they had been started at cuch & high level.

-An offer of a subsidy of £40,000 to *|sist the grower supplying the local m&rket, who did not get the benefit of the export guarantee, had been made by the Government, but tbe Minister of Marketing had expressed the hope that the price would be high enough to xender its application unnecessary. A basis had been tentatively arranged. The Department of Agriculture had tent out fQrms to ascertain the prices at wMch fruit was selling on the local market, in an effort to deoide what was the average price throughout New Zealand.- The department had striven to get something -equivalent to the Government guarantee. A basis of 4/6 had been tentatively adopted, but if -the average price for the Dominion, as dis-" elosed by the returas, was above 4/6, no subs'^dy would be paid out. Similarly, any amount paid out would be an equal sum to evqry grower, no matter what price he had received. The Government committee set up lo ravestigate the fruit maTket had brought in reeommendations, said Mr. Brash. He had every faith in Mr. Picot, and he felt a better man eould not have been chosen. Any Government control would be brought in s'owly, he was sure. Local eqmmitteeg would be set up first, though these rnight later be co-ordinated. The prcsent wish of fhe Government was that the raovement should be carricd out voluntarily, and conferences wouM be hcld b^ the Government to benefit the whole induitry. . The Government was not going to "run the ship on to the •rocks.*' Things would move ver.v slowly for a Iona time.

r Standardisation and the question of grades were a bit of a "blister." It had been a difficult problem, and doubts had been expressed at first about the "rubbisk" fruit. TJbe Minister had agreed, however, that no fruit JJFhieh could be made available to ihe poorer classes at » cheap price should be destroyed. The work of the federation had been difficult during the year, he 'added. It was seeking to unite the fruit-growing interests throughout New Zealand. lf the voluntary organisation of the federation were permitted to die, the 2?ruit Board would coliapse, and he felt tfiat fruit could not be distribuled satisfactorily without the Fruit Board. Prices hkd risen, and tho year had poen difficult, but the federation had pulied th rough satisfaetorily. The liftiug of the ■ embargo ou oranges would be diffibull to avoid this year, said Mr. Brash. I'ublie opinion was'* that there was a need for a n.ore plentiful supply of fruit. The iufanidlo . paralysis opidemic had intcnsified this feeling. The price for citrus fruit 'should not be kept so high that the erdinary consumer eould not buy them, and there would be strong pressqro on the Government to lift tne embargo. In conclusion, Mr. Brasfii paid tributes to the Horticulturai Bivision and thanked ihe directorate ot' the federation for tho support it had given him, Jn reply to Mr. A. L. Baumgart, hlr. Brash said that the fruitgrowers had not been xepresented on the titandards institute. Mr King moved a resolution eongratalating the trading department staff on the satisfactory lunning for tha year and on thd distriDution of proiits. This was seconded by Mr iiaiph Payuter and earried unaunnously. Mr P. King moved that it be a reeoinmendation to the board that copies of the balanee-sheet should be seut to delegates to the provincial confereuce one week before the confereuce, ' and that" they be returned after "the couference to avoid any risks of undue publicity*. An amendment that a copy of the* balance-sheet should be mado available" at ' the branch office was 'iMWpBaAn invitatxon to hold the next proViacial conlerenco in Gisborne was ex-

tended by Mr Kirk. It was agreed to give this invitation consideration. . Messrs E. H. Paynter, A. L. Baumgart and J. H. Milling were eleeted delegates to the Dominion conference at Wellington. "We ure not going to get lower transport prices through the earrieis, but I feel that we might get cheaper serviee if we could get the support of the Raihvay Department and arrange for a tb rough charge right to tbe auetioneers, ' ' said Mr Brash in touching on the question of anereased cartace eos'ts. ' The conference con tinned sitting througlicnit the afternoou and considered 102 remits for the Dominion conference in Wellington nest month.