AUSTRALIAN GRAPES IN AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 69, 22 March 1910, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN GRAPES IN AUCKLAND.

. ....... ..»..' '...:. another unsuccessftjl ship- . -'-;_'■". ■ '-MENT.V .' .„„;__/' _.'_ .'___: . -.- . . ' '.- ' V .- A HOPELESS TRADE. "-.'.■ ,-Auckland vinegrowers a iyear t or ago i were exceedingly afraid that co__petition 'from Australia: was going \to kill the industry in. this? province. Indignation meetings were.' held, and resolutions were submitted to I the ■ Government, protesting against, a-. proposal to remove the duty on Australian grapes. A counter-agitatio : id', favour i "of lifting I the embargo,.was worked.-up, .but. Cab-,I met, with a view to - enabling '.Northern j viticulture to get the-industry on — I a. good footing, 7 decided that --the/duty should still remain in-' operation. Last year, Australians- growers tried" to establish a connection in Auckland, and failed badly;: ; The first ,- few "shipments, arrived in a somewhat, mildewed condition. : Those coming later found practically no demand, and though r * sold at —L and 6d. per-1b.,-could not compete with 10-1

cally grown grapes at 3d. and —t. y\? This . year '. three shipments ■ -'*. only .: of Australian grapes have arrived in Auck- ' land., and- each, consignment has proved a financial failure. This .morning Australian grapes have, -been '}_[. selling, in ■ Queen-street /; at , -d. per, lb. ~, They are white Muscats of- excellent. but ;the 'demand-. does not exist, and theycannot C compete v.-.against the. locally grown; article. ■: "Why?" was ,a, question asked of , a leading fruit • merchant;; and importer this. morning. "The reply will surprise yon," answered the gentleman in question. ■ "It is partly ; because the

Australian -; , grapes -we have I received this year are - white. Auckland people seem to possess* the. queer -idea that unless table grapes are'.black.'they:are. not quite: the' thing. Australian growers have tried hard to gain an outlet in New Zealand, ,but their efforts ■ have been without avail. On Sunday my firm received- a shipment of 100 cases from a -grower' who has : never /consigned Ho' Auckland before. I guess he never will again... Freight, costs . a .penny, and. duty amounts to-another penny. /The tgrapes arrived in good order,- and", are of -the white; Muscat,- variety. --; Done-.up in 241b. -: boxes, they realised 4/4 per box at auction , yesterday— ; just a fraction ' over 2d. per lb. The consigner; in Sydney -will not receive enough to. cover.''the cost", of; the cases.. Our own .table grapes, "oil outdoor varieties, realised better' prices' yesterday,. Albany J,. Surprises f ■ making i from 4/6 to 5/- per 181b. case. There ' is , .every reason to believe,' therefore, that Australian growers . will 'now.- realise that there is ■no market in Auckland for: grapes, grown in the Commonwealth, and we are rioTv'a—e; to supply all our own. wants." In the glut .'of the season, .. in fact, -we are _ able. . . sell I grapes ias cheaply' in J Auckland, as they can in Sydney, and -the price on the i local- market. two or three weeks ago was, as low-- as 2/- : ari'd.-2/C-f0r";.241b. cases." ;,.'"' ~. ;1 'i j-,'; r,,- •" ".','. "' . '".' .".'' t ' ■ ' ■.■-■-■- ■ -■ ■ ■-■ ' - •