EXPORTS OF FRUIT

Hokitika Guardian, 31 October 1921, Page 3

EXPORTS OF FRUIT

X F.KSOX. (let. 27. Rcfore leaving Xelson Mr Walker, the well-known Tasmanian Iruit- merchant. said he had been very much impressed with the prospects of the Iruit induslrv in the Xelsoii district, both j„ regard to the vast stage of production and the remarkably up-to- bhe met hods I.f handling fruit, in regard In will,-It Xf\v /fiihuid w;is in ninny i»*spurls « - iills hly jihc:i<l hntli I•mania and tin- Australian mainland Stales, lie felt t hat Xew Zealand was to lie complimented on having such a high standard ot quality, which had already given apph-s Iruin this ciiunli\ a first-class reputation on the Kuglish market■ . , , ! In all address helnre the Xelson In- ’’ stiuilc. Mr Walker, speaking in mi ncs inn with 1 la- transport of fruit I ruin i Australia to Xew Zealand, said lie eon. sidi-ml that the question of the rcspnii. sihility ot shipping companies for lie’ proper carriage of fruit enlTUstcd to 1 hcin was oil,, of the most important in ciiiinexion with tin- trade. ll'- ii’gardcd it as highly iniprnper that shipping nan panics should he permitted to charge the enormous freight ol Ss a isise to carry fruit t'>. F.ngland, and i take no resiioiisihility whatever at to tin., condition in which the Iruit was : landed. As an instance of wluit, could ! la- (lull,, with proper attention to reirigoialinn and ventilation lie inciili-m d llie 1 asi‘ ol tin Shropshire, which u i 11)20 look from llobarl a cargo of 7l), (HU) cases of applies. 1 lie -whole ol which mainly ( ox’s Orange Pippins and KihsLoiie Pippins were deaj ripe at shipment, in conscqucuce ol a lorttught s delay in the arrival of ill,, vessel. A| ter ail eight- weeks' voyage she landed her entire cargo in first -class •Jidcr whilst other vessels had lifted cargoes of hard green fruit, and had delivered the greater part of it either frozen ; r overheated, w ith immense resultant loss Ito growers, lie also mentioned an inI slam e in w hich a Tasmanian grow er ! picked and packed L’OO trays of pears i and placed half of them si til ultaneo isiy lon hoard each of two vessels lying in j opposite sides of the same wharf, one I vessel delivering her lilt) trays in lii'st- ’ class order, and the other hers in an l entirely worthless condition. It was 1 anreasoiiahie in lace nl such oerurremos

to assert that the fault lay with tli Iruit or with the gouer. It was u.ini-fost-l.v a matter of defm-tive refrig.• a tion or ventilation. Mr Walker stig- | vested that joint, action might lie takan ! hv the Governments of Xew Zealand and Australia in the direct inn of bring, j ing pressure to bear upon the shipp ng | companies, requiring them to take at : least some measure of respnnsihilitv tor 1 the safe and proper carriage of fru t ' cut rusted to them, and ulsn endeaveip- ' to arrange tli,. time of arrival ol virions vessels carrying fruit with a little ! more uniformity.