SLUMP YEAR IN CALIFORNIA

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 68, 11 June 1927, Page 14

SLUMP YEAR IN CALIFORNIA

OVER-PRODUCTION IN FRUIT INDUSTRY MERCHANT’S IMPRESSIONS With unemployment, fallen wages and over-production, Californiii is in the same position as New Zealand. That was the impression of Mr. V/. A. Somervell, an Auckland merchant, who has just returned from a three months’ tour of California and Canada. “ r T'HREE and four years ago the United States was prosperous, but United States was prosperous, but things have altered since then, although the Government is rich with war loan money,” said Mr. Somervell. “In Los Angeles there were front 40,litJ to 50,000 unemployed. If a position, say, for a youth is advertised, it often brings 1,000 answers. Wages have fallen considerably; to take one example, a few years ago a man or woman could earn five dollars a day by washing dishes in a cafetaria, but now the wage is 1 dollar 50 cents. Only the experts get big wages." TOO MANY APPLES Mr. Somervell was especially interested in the fruit-growing. He found that, although the apple trees were covered in blossom, and there seemed every likelihood of another big crop, the cool stores and shops were still full of the previous year's fruit. “They suffered from over-produc-tion last year the same as we did,” he said, “and of course there was no market for New Zealand apples there. By what 1 could see the coming crop would be another big one, and there would be the same situation next year. “The prices of apples were from 3d to 5d a pound, and this may be compared with the 8d and 9d a pound which the retailers got for New Zealand apples in other years. The Dominion grower used to get 5d a pound for his exported fruit. In some stores I saw cases and cases of Jonathans lying about without their having been put in cool stores." All fruit-growing in California and Canada was done by means of irrigation. Californian growers would wonder what had happened if they got more than eight or nine days’ rain. LETTUCE GROWING Lettuce growing was an important industry, whole farms being devoted to it. The lettuce was used not only in the ways we knew, but with strawberries and cream, fruit salad and other sweet dishes, the leaves being placed between the plate and the foodstuff. This created a great demand. Because the plant was grown by irrigation it kept for a week, whereas the New Zealand variety would start to decay in 24 hours. The fruit packing methods of New Zealand were just as up-to-date as those of California. The grape-fruit as a breakfast course was eaten with relish by Mr. Somervell. “It seems to revive one’s appetite and make one bright and fresh,” he said. “There is no reason why it should not be grown here. The Americans pay almost the same price there as we do for it—from 2Jd to 5d each.” Mr. Somervell crossed the Mexican border going from San Diego to the “gambling hell” of Tia Juana, a place about as big as Newmarket. Citizens of the United States flocked across to this saloon township, where drinking and gambling went on all day and all night. The photographs of visitors were taken “for identification purposes” before they left United States territory and all were searched before they could come back again. It was not safe to stay in Tia Juana after 5.30, when the United States officials withdrew. Jack Johnson, the ex-prize fighter, had a saloon there.