FRUIT GROWERS RESENT HIGH PRICES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 154, 20 September 1927, Page 10

FRUIT GROWERS RESENT HIGH PRICES

ADVOCATE STREET BARROWS I (Special to THE SUN.) CHRISTCHURCH, To-day. ! Fruit barrows are unknmvn in Christ- Y church streets, but in view of the «• cessive profits said to be made on tbt ! sale of stone fruits by retailers, the flj Canterbury Fruit Growers’ Associate decided to wait on the Christchurch V* City Council asking that barrow-mex I be licensed to ply in the central area, j | The association claims that 400 an* ft-| 500 per cent, profit was made last year . | by fruiterers on outside-grown toa*- fj toes. A “Sun” reporter to-day sougfc 1 representative opinions from men inti* J mately connected with the trade. Ex- M cepting Mr. C. E. Pcpe, president o! ■ the Canterbury Stone Fruit and To- Bj mato Growers’ Association, all oppoeed B the project. “If barrow-men are allowed to cow 1 back the public will obtain cheaper anc ■ better fruit, and grovrers will experi* W ence better results,” said Mr. Pope. B “East year, for instance, the best- 1 known brands of the best tomato gp growers in Cant er bury realised only Id w. a pound, yet the public was asked to ® pay 4d and 5d a pound. Barrow-m® I are prepared to sell at very small profit . My association is going to make a de* jr ter mired effort to persuade the City Council to licence tnis class of tntk and in the event of such pencissios being refused, my association intends to place the case for the growers fore the House of Representatives aw to ask for legislation to limit the acessive profit on fruit.” Mr. YV. B. Bucktin, another grower, said that while in sympathy with octside growers of tomatoes, he did nfr* consider the re-inauguration of bar-row-men feasible under present conditions. It was not a fair proposittos for retailers, who had to meet overheat expenses. ‘T don’t think for a oWlj however, that the City Council wfl* agree to licence barr ow-men to Ptf in the central area,” he added. The retailers naturally are opposed to the scheme. They eouskte 1 that if barrow-men were allowed • the streets they would undercut prices, and fruiterers paying high rette and rates would be unable to successfully. Consequently a number of shop assistants would be put out c* work. From a sanitary another, it was a bsolutely wrong. Thff* * is a regulation which forbids retailer* showing outside their shops fruit b& vegetables commonly eaten in the occooked state. H