“SEND N.Z. APPLES TO EUROPEAN MARKETS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 514, 17 November 1928, Page 12

“SEND N.Z. APPLES TO EUROPEAN MARKETS”

ADVICE TO FRUIT BOARD PROSPECTS FOR NEXT YEAR A recommendation that 100,000 cases of apples be sent to the Continent of Europe next year has been m.nde to the New Zealand Fruit Export Control Board by Mr. H. E. Stephens, overseas representative of the board. It would be to New Zealand'S advantage to relieve the London supplies by placing more fruit in the outports such as Glasgow, Bristol and West Coast pc*rts, Mr. Stephens told a meeting of orchardists at the Chamber of Commerce yesterday afternoon. Mr. H. S. Izard presided over a large attendance. Mr. Stephens said that last season .New Zealand had doubled her export of apples to London. Both Australia and New Zealand had doubled their export of pears, but South Africa had increased her supply to London from 340,000 boxes to one million. COVENT GARDEN NOT IDEAL Although fruit from the Dominion had been sold at slightly reduced prices, New Zealand apples sold at higher prices than her competitors. London was New Zealand’s largest market, said Mr. Stephens, but he thought it was used to the detriment of other markets. London was not the ideal distributing centre because the fruit had to be handled too often at Covent Garden. It would be some years before the London County Council’s new £2,000,000 market was completed. Speaking of other markets, Mr. Stephens said that Bristol was one of the best ports from the board’s point of view. Glasgow was another, but it had been neglected. The West Coast ports of the United Kingdom would be more advantageously served if boats did not call at London first, and the speaker thought that some other arrangements should be made with the shipping companies. CONTINENTAL MARKETS Mr. Stephens said that he had visited the markets of the Continent, where New Zealand should look for a better market until conditions improved in England. There was a large demand for New Zealand apples both in Holland and Germany. Last year Holland took 18,000 cases, most of which came from the Auckland Province. Apples sent to Rotterdam sold at 3s a case more than those sold in London. There was also a market for New Zealand fruit in Belgium and Scandi-

navia, and Paris would take amount of the larger sized It was Impossible at present pete with the South ** Co fc. market in London, but a* 7? Zealand season followed on South African season there »~! *<*l pects. Pears were now veiw® **’*- demand on the London martit Mr. Stephens said thatiU apples were being sent Bn7* llclo aß brown core. He thought that i® mature fruit should be packea . Export, and that growers shonla . **• picking for 10 days. Newsr , dtla ? methods of packing received approval. umv er^