BOYCOTT DECLARED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 25, 9 November 1934, Page 6

BOYCOTT DECLARED.

AUSTRALIAN ORANGES. FRUITERERS IN WELLINGTON. (Per Press Association;. WELLINGTON, November 8. A meeting of over 200. Wellington, fruiterers to-day declared a boycott on South Australian oranges, resolving: "That the prices asked for the present class of oranges is excessive, and that retail fruiterers refuse to purchase any further oranges until the price is reduced." . '. A committee was appointed to consider the unsatisfactory way m which retailers were„ being compelled to buy inferior quality oranges at a ridiculously high ijgte. , Mr R. A. Wright, M.P., assured tne meeting that he Avould call attention to the matter in "the House of Representatives. Mr W. Hatch, president of the European Retail Fruiterers' Association, said that the fruit came from South Australia, and new supplies were not sold to retailers until the previous stock was disposed of. Meantime the oranges were kept in cool storage, which was definitely deleterious. Retailers suffered a loss of often as much as 25 per cent, on a case through the fruit having to be condemned. He instanced a case of oranges which had been opened in the presence of Mr R. Wright, M.P. Out of a total of 21C oranges .57 proved to be bad. The leading Wellington wholesale merchants refused to make any statement pending the arrival on Saturday from Dunedin of Mr C. N. S. Mueller, of the Australian Fruitgrowers' Association. SCARCITY IN DUNEDIN. (Special to the " Guardian.") DUNEDIN, Nov. 8. Oranges have been scarce on the Dunedin market for some time and 3650 cases from South Australia landed by the Waitaki were quickly sold to eager buyers at prices in advance of those obtained for the previous shipment. "The demand is barely supplied," said the secretary of the Retail Fruiterers' Association. We understand this to be the last shipment of oranges to bo forwarded from South Australia this season, and if the Government does not permit any more shipments to be brought, there will soon be no supplies at all. New Zealand have not placed orders in California for supplies for some considerable time. Nothing definite lias been heard regarding negotiations that Mr Coates and Mr Masters are to make during their present visit to Australia, and unless they make some arrangement very shortly ttere will be a complete slump in the orange market.