A MATTER OF URGENCY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 169, 4 August 1937, Page 7

A MATTER OF URGENCY

-Piesa Asaociation.)

Ov^erly Marketing

( B„v relegraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. The qpinion that the introciuction by the Gqv3rnmpnt of the compnlsory standardisation of fruit was the fifst step toward rehabilitating the indqstry in New Zealand was expressed hy Mr. h. E. Stephens, chfiirman of the New Zealand Fruit Export Contrpi Boai'd, iu his addreSs tp the annuai cQnforcnce to-day. "The rehab.ilitatiou qf the local market is a dire necgssity, not only because of the collapse of overseas markets, but because the pvesent unsettled world conditions indicate that a tvar is. not altogetlxgr a remote possihility. Shquld it unfortunatoly oecur, it is aimost cartain there woidd be no shipping spacQ avaiiable for the export' of fruit, which Would mean that tha whole of the crop would have to be disposed of to the best advantage within New Zealand, and undcr tho unsatisfactoiy conditions which prevail at present this would be a complete disaster to the fruit industry," Mr, -Stephens saia. "Orderly marketing, therefore, from the growers' point of view and also frpm the national ^point of view is a matter of great urgeney. It was with ple.asure that the fruit growers learpt of the decisipn of the Government to investigate these matters, but sinee the report of the investigation last January very little seems tp have heen done, and at prgspnt the industry had no clg.ar prograrnme abead of it," The Commission of Iaquiry had indicated tliat the crux of the problem was the nced for reducing expenses hetween the producpr and consumer, continued Mr, Stephens. It was doubtfnl whether the trade conld do this unless it was. assisted toward complete organisation by some authoritative a*nd sympathetic organisation such as the present Government, With the help of the Government the trade epuld, no doubt, work out its own salvation to the benefit of the eountry as a whole and it was hoped that a definite constructive prograrnme ' would be prepared. In the meautime it was only reasonable tq suggest that growers should be granted a guarantee ' which wpuld reeompense them fqr the ecouomie and qfiicient prodnqtipn ©| fruit.'