ISLAND ORANGES.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1919, Page 6

ISLAND ORANGES.

SHIPMENT IN BAD CONDITICN. Auckland. July 11. The Lad condition of recent largo shipments of Island oranges was the subject of considerable comment at the city marts. The Flora has just landed 15,000 cases from Rarotonga. Mangaia, and Eaiatia, and it is stated that there is scarcely one case free from decayed fruit. One prominent dealer stated that he was employing men both day and night to pick and repack sound fruit, Fifty per cent, were bad, and the destructor refused to receive more than one large dray load a day. "Seldom if ever," he said, "has such a condition existed in the market. It is a great loss to the grower and also to the dealer!" The cause of the decay of the fruit he attributed to tlte undue length of the trip from the Islands. The season was now at its height, he said, and the first oranges were loaded at Raiatia after three or four days spent at smaller islands. The Flora reached Rarotonga and loaded the iinal shipment. The trip of 103S miles to Auckland usually occupied six days, but on the la9t occasion the vessel encountered rough weather, and did not reach Auckland until eleven days after leaving Rarotonga. The dealer expressed the opinion that with a faster vessel on the run little decayed fruit would be landed I «i Auckland. Prices given for the ' repacked oranges were from l?s to 16s Vi case, according to the quality. In view of the bad condition of the fruit ft is anticipated that prices will har- j den considerably before the arrival of J the nest shipment.