FRUIT MARKETING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 245, 29 July 1936, Page 8

FRUIT MARKETING

NO GUARANTEED PRICE YET.

THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 28. The Minister for Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) opened a conference of the Fruit Growers’ Federation and of the Fruit Marketing Board. He indicated that it would not be practicable for the Government to apply its policy of guaranteed prices to the fruit industry during the present year, and that it would probably be 1938 before the Government could completely tako over tho marketing of fruit. Should, however, the industry be faced with danger, the Government would be prepared to discuss at once means of affording assistance. He promised that an adequate supply of cases would be available preferably of local timber and manufacture, but if necessary the cases would be imported. Deliberations upon the fruit industry and the marketing of New Zealand fruit at the present conference were important, said Mr Nash, as the agreements made at Ottawa in 1932 would normally come up for review next year. The marketing of fruit would be one of those to be discussed in London early in tho coming year and possibly slightly earlier, when representatives of the New Zealand Government would meet representatives of the Government of the United Kingdom to discuss the marketing of the primary, products of this country. Overseas Negotiations. The New Zealand delegation was going to set out that the Dominion could, from its resources, produce certain goods and to ask that as far as was practicable tho Dominion should have the right to market those goods, so that the people of Britain could gain access to them and that New Zealand in turn would take from Britain goods that would approximate in value the products taken from her. Mr Nash said he knew the difficulties in the way of such doctrine being put into effect, but lip knew no other way by which the best possible return could be obtained

He had been asked several times why the Government did not apply that policy to the fruit industry at once, continued Mr Nash, but it was essential that the foundations should be correctly built, that they might be firm enough to withstand the shocks that would come, mainly from other countries. The Government’s policy was being applied initially in the dairy industry, because that was the industry in which help was more immediately needed. The soundness or otherwise of the policy would bo shown in the years ahead, but foundations had to bo built strongly at the start, so that the dairy farmer should carry on and get a price that would enable him to get a decent standard of living.

The Real Difficulty. If it were possible to apply the policy to the fruit industry at once, lie would have no qualms over it. It was not a question of whether it should be done, but of how it should be done. The Rt. Hon. J’. G. Coates, in referring to the general unanimity of the industry upon broad questions of policy, said he sincerely hoped that Otago would be prepared to come in with the general scheme, for wero complete unanimity achieved it would bo easier for the Government to afford assistance. Individualism in the fruit industry had gradually faded away. How the problems of overseas markets would work out would depend upon the human element and the way in which the human mind worked, but lie believed that clear and definite steps could be taken for the local market. Much had already been done, but there was still room in that direction. Mr Coates said that no body of men experienced greater anxiety over tnc industry than did fruit growers, and a good many had now come to the conclusion that other things paid bettei than fruit growing. That was a pity, for a fruit farmer could not be made in one year, and it would be well foi New Zealand if markets and prices could be found to keep men in an industry they understood.

LOCAL MARKET PROPOSALS. RESOLUTION OF CONFERENCE. WELLINGTON, July 28. Compulsory standardisation and control of distribution in the local marketing of fruit were advocated by most speakers at the Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Fruit Growers Federation to-day. After a lonji; discussion, a resolution was carried lavouring this course in any plan loi the reorganisation of the fruit industry in the Dominion. The taking of a vote on the fixation of a minimum price was deferred until to-morrow.