“AN ABSURD IDEA”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1039, 1 August 1930, Page 1

“AN ABSURD IDEA”

Public Markets Proposal VIEWS OF LEADING MERCHANT ‘■'THE whole idea is absurd. It is ridiculous to think that it 1 would pay any grower to come into town and try to sell his own produce. He hasn’t the time. After haggling for hours with thrifty buyers, he would probably end up by dumping half of it.”

A proposal published some •weeks ago whereby producers could bring their goods into the City and sell direct to the public scarcely meets with the approval of Mr. Harvey Turner, of Turners and Growers, Ltd., who returned yesterday from a three months’ trip to America. Speaking this morning to a representative of The Sun, Mr. Turner drew attention to the fact that such markets had been constructed in Auck j land many years ago. "They failed,” he said, “though placed in the centre of the City and especially built for the purpose. They j were poorly supported, and in the end could get no tenants. The stalls developed into an ordinary block of shops. Fancy goods and hardware merchants, a second-hand dealer, and a bird-fancier took over some of them STUDY OF MARKETS Mr. Turner went to America for two reasons. One was to attend the Rotary Conference in Chicago; the other was to study the market systems in the principal cities. He visited Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Chicago. “What are known as retail markets there are privately-owned open shops,” he said. “One or two of the older cities have municipal markets but! these are nearly always failures. All the big markets there are private. In Los Angeles —the most advanced citv in that respect—they are very elaborate affairs. There are huge entrances and free parking. Auythiug at all can be bought. They are the finest open markets in the world —and they are privately owned. DIFFERENT MARKETING SYSTEMS “The marketing and distributing system in the western States is very different from that iu the east. Los Angeles and San Francisco, the western centres, are both in the heart of the fruitgrowing areas. The produce is sold by the packing houses to wholesale distributors, who, in turn, suit them to retailers. On the eastern coast, where little fruit is grown, the

system iu operation is one of railway terminal markets. The fruit is sold in car-lots to the wholesale distributors, who in turn sell It to the retailers. The systems have this point of similarity—they both possess one more agent than is used in New Zealand. OPERATES STEAMERS “One large tropical fruit firm operates two lines of steamers in bringing fruit to America. It does not sell direct to the retailer. Truck-loads are bought from the ship by the wholesale aistributors. “Particularly noticeable is the lack of official supervision. The Government seems to keep out of the wholetrade. The railway companies cooperate admirably, the privately-owned lines showing keen competition in arranging for the carriage of fruit and vegetables. Cars specially designed to keep the fruit in splendid condition over long journeys are used.” While in America Mr. Turner travelled 2.000 miles by air service, 3,000 miles by motor-car, and more than 6,000 miles by rail.