CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 104, 3 May 1890, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

MEETING OF FRUIT-GROWERS.

At three o'clock yesterday afternoon a meeting of persons interested in the fruib industry was held at the Chamber of Commerce by invitation of the Local Industries Committee of the Chamber. About thirty gentlemen were present. Mr A. Bell presided, and referred to the amount of fresh and dried fruit thab was imported into the colony annually. Hβ noticed thab in 1886, £351 worbh of preserved fruits were imported, and in 1888 £1,809. In 1886 the dried fruits imported, amounted to £5,739, and in 1888, this increased to £8,302. Currants imported in 1886 amounted to £19,892, and in 1888, £26,677. Raisins in 1886 amounted to £19,130, and in 1888 £20,370. In 1886, the fresh fruits imported amounted to £67,930, and in 1888, £55,525. In 1888, £6,751 worth of fruit pulp was imported, and in 1886 the jams and jellies imported totalled £12,172. In 1888, this had decreased to £5,308. With the exception of raisins and currants, he thought almost all the rest could be produced here. If they went into the matter properly, it would take them all their time to supply the consumption at home. He noticed thab last month alone £816 12s 6d worth of canned fruit was imported from California. Thab would mean from five to six thousand pounds worth for the year. The initial difficulty was the question of railway freight, as thab musb be cheapened before much could be done. They must try to get special concessions from the Railway Commissioners upon consignments of fruit, That was now being done in America. He believed bhab if the mabter was gone into heartily, all bhe difficulties might'be overcome, and a successful industry started. Mr Douglas stated that he believed the fruib industry would be the main thing in the future of the North of New Zealand. He said that he had collected an amount of information regarding a market for fruib, and he found applea would pay in San Francisco in April, May and June. There were also good markets in Queensland and Brisbane. Applea would also pay in New York in March, April, May and June. Mr Douglas quoted from a letter to the effect that if Australia and New Zealand wished to have good prices bbc fruib must be packed better. Ib was also seated bhab lemons could be sold profitably in New York all the year round. He was perfectly convinced thab bhe firsb bhing bhey wanted was a markeb for their green fruib, but ib would require a combination to do the bhing properly. Mr H. Waibe said thab he had now in hand about I,ooolb of preserved fruit. Hβ thought too they might do something in the way of producing apple butber like that used in America. Bub fruib was boo dear yet bo be profitably canned Or preeerved.. As far as fruit-drying was concerned, he might point out thatib took 161b of .fresh fruib to produce one pound of dried fruit. Would it pay to sell thab ab eightpence per pound? Yeb ib could be purchased at thab price in this city. Mr Peacocke said that in California bhe ■canneries purchased fruib ab less than a fathing per pound, and greengages at bhree farthings. He thought bhab the time had nob yetarrivedforcanning fruibin this colony. "With regard to dried fruib ib should be remembered bhab only such fruit was evaporabed as would otherwise have been wasted. Hβ bhoughb bhey wanted something , to discuss. There should be something laid before them in the shape of proposals. He" knew thab fresh fruib had been sent bo Honolulu, where ib had realised good prices. The real facb was that ab presenb they did nob produce sufficient fruit to support a good exfiorb brade. Mr Barlow sbabed thab in Cambridge he could nob gebenough apples to keep his evaporabor3 going. : Mr Carrie said bhab what bhey wanted

.was to procjbce cheap fruit and supply ib v :-fcd the people cheaply. The trouble was that the producer often got a poor price, i and yet the public did not get it at a cheap price. v What they wanted was a central ,dep6t for the sale of fruib. Mr Burns eaid that what they wanted was that the abominable thing now called a Markeb should be swept avvay, and a proper v dep6t for produce formed in its place. V.;, The Bey. Mr McCallum said, that there were at least twenty millions of apple trees now producing fruib in California alone. .Apricots could be purchased at from 1 cent ■fcb two cents per pound, whilst table grapes were bought at from 3 to 5 cents per pound. The Chamber might assist fruit growers by getting a proper market. The trouble was thab at present there was only an apology for a market, with poultry, old clothes and broken furniture. Thus they were forced to trust to the auctioneer, who in turn was

compelled to sell the fruit to shopkeepers at cheap rates in order to enable them to pay I! off old scores. Perhaps, too, the auc- '■ tioneer himself sometimes belonged to a ring for exporting fruit. Then they ;* inusb open up foreign markets, nob in ■ v ,San Francisco, as they had too good H a supply from Oregon. He could get a rei munerative price for his fruib, and so could "others if they only went properly .to" work. There were markets available in Brisbane, Hew South Wales, China, Rio Janeiro, Honolulu, Calcutta, Madraa and Bombay. they wanted was that the commercial ~ : men should open up these markets. Buthe • inusb urge upon them that they had nob enough fruit to go in for evaporating. ■.'/.■■■■• Mr Waite said that it would be well to call a public meeting to consider the question of opening the Market-house for the -; sale of produce, instead of letting it re- , main a second-hand clothing establish- : anenb. They, all knew that when it was 'leased to an auctioneer he would refuse to Ueb stalls for the sale of produce, but dejj Warded the right to auction it. : Mr Bridgewater said that the main question was that of a market. He therefore f:, r moved,."ThatSmmediate steps betaken to k "represent to the Corporation that it is mosb B-rdearable that the Markeb be made availr able for the disposal of country produce as ■ an open market, the same as in all the pro- - . vincial towns in the Old Country." v This was seconded by Mr Parker, and 'unanimously adopted.