Orchard Efficiency

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 170, 5 August 1937, Page 8

Orchard Efficiency

Our Own Correspondent.)

OVERHAULOF LOCAL MARKETING 3 # Mr. Picot Urges Simplicity in Grading COMPULSORY ELEMENT?

(From

WELLINGTON, This Day. The need for thorough organisation by growers and the attaining of individual orchard efficiency was stressed by Mr. F. R. Picot, Director of Internal Marketing, ih his address on the reorganisation of marketing within New Zealand to the annual conference of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation at Wellington yesterday. Delegates expressed a desire that compulsion should be introduced into any policy that might be adopted; otherwise, they said, it would be doomed to-failure in the same way as many voluntary schemes had failed in the past,. due largeiy to the attitude taken by growers described as "rail-sitters." Mr. Picot prefaced his address by assuring delegates that the Internal Marketing Department was at all tiines anxious and willing to co-operate with and consider the wishes and difficulties of the fruitgrowers. The reorganising of such a very necessary and indispensable industry could not be undertaken by any one individual, and the co-oper-ation of the growers' own organisations was not only desirable but imperative for a satisfactory readjustment of the industry. Mr. Picot urged upon growers that it was of paramount iinportance that they should put their own houses in order. The growers^ he added, were asking the Governoient for certain privileges and protections in the form of guarantees, and in consequenco the growers bad a duty to see that their orchards wero of a good standard of efficiency. The Guarantee Basis. Mr. Picot said that Mr. Stephens, ciiairman of the Export (Jontrol Board, had on Tuesday dealt with the guarantee; he had appeared a little perturbed as to the best application of any form of guarantee. Mr. Stephens had given the impression that the industry shared the opinion that a guarantee was necessary. They had to consider the besi basis of obtaining it. Marketing was of fundamentai importance, and not until growers reacli ed the point where they- were satislied with their own efficiency before they got to the marketing point wouid they obtain the true benefit of any reiorxn tfiat could be brouglit ili from the selling side. It was on the marketing side for the reorganising of selling, Mr. Picot said, that he was- especially anxious to bo of assistanee to growers. Twenty years ago he personally had been closely associated for three years with the auctioning of fruit, and he had sold it on the same methods that were employed to-day. It was not right that such little progress should be made over such a long period, It. could not be denied that there was room for considerable improvement in marketing. Nobody could say that during the last ?0 years an advance had not been made in most things, and it was indeed time that stock was taken of the position and the question asked: "How can this order be altered?" Blame, he said, had been east upon individuals handling the position, ' but the fault lay in the system. Soenething constructive was necessary, and the Internal Marketing Department would have it. By the Government 's introduction into local marketing, delegates would agree, it had shown a desire to tackle one of the greatest faults in modern civilisation — the lack of capacity to transfer the produce of the land to the consuming public in the most sound and economic method. New Zealand was singularly placed with climatic conditions — from almost tropical in the north to the colder conditibns of the south. It seeened that Nfew Zealand could almost grow anything for its people; yet the quantities ' of homegrown produce consumed internally in some instances was astoundingly arrmii as compared with other parts of the world. Lack of Centralised Selling. Touching upon the faults in tho present systexn of marketing, Mr Picot said he considered that one great weakness was the lack of centralised selling floors. Ho would like to seo a scheme adopted whereby fruit could be handled and sold under the one roof. It was undeniable that better reaults would te obtaaned where buyers would be able to concentrate and the sellers able to handle a larger section of purchasers at the one time with a larger range of fruit requisites. It was5 agreed that auctionijig of fruit would remain the principal method of selling. Owing to its pewsliable nature it was essential that it should be sold under the hammer. Touching upon the question of standardisation, Mr Picot said that it had been introduced for the export trade. Any reforms that delegates were able to suggest would have to be based upon sound commonsense, and he was going to add that simplicity of standardisating was a point around which he would like the conference to think. Mr Picot made a suggestion of tliree grades, such as the best, something that was a good apple, and something that was quite as good. A multiplicatio'n of grades would lead to eonfusion. ~ "We of the Internal Marketing De-

partment desire to be of service,'* ' conttnued Mr Picot. "After the fruit has been handed over we wish to carry on the grading that will be of benefit to the consumer. It is essential that it should be made eiiuple for the loeai market. It is the local market that is going .to save your industry, I think." "Advertising," he adde.d, "seems to be one of the greatest needs of your industry. In New Zealan.d we can grow produce that is second to none; yet very few people in New Zealand realise it.;# Continuing, Mr Picot said that his department would concentrate on this point, and as a result primary products would become better- apprecdated. "Let ua give it a go to stimulate a demaud for the things we ourselves grow," he said. ' "We don't want you to lose enthusiasm. We want to be behind you pushing you aiong," said Mr Picot. "You can ask y ourselves: what of the future? That is the thing that you are ioolting forward to. We need your advocaey and your assistanee. The time for inaction is past with the introduction of internal marketing. 1 would sooner go put of it having made a few mietakes than having done nothing. ' * (Applause.)