FRUIT CASES FOR THE ISLANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 141, 16 June 1922, Page 5

FRUIT CASES FOR THE ISLANDS.

A REPLY TO COMPLAINT. SOME EXTRA PROFIT SOMEWHERE. The secretary of the Board of Trade recently wrote to Mr. Joseph Butler, manacrin? director of the Kauri Timber Co., and representative of the Auckland sawmilling interests on the Board of ; Trade, respecting a complaint that the shooks (fruit cases in bulk) sent from Auckland to the Cook Islands were in-. securely bound, and the price, amountins to 3/ per case, was very hi<rh. The complaint was referred by Mr. Butler to the Auckland Sawmillere' Association for a report, nnd the following is a of the reply from the association, which has been forwarded to Wellington : — "The price of these boxes supplied in shooks is 1/4* each, less 2J t>or cent, cash . f.o.b. Auckland. The freight is just a shade under 6d each, so that the c.i.f. price Rarotonsti amounts to under 1/10*. fach. They are not *wore of who gets the balance of 1/1 i which is needed to make the price 3/ each mentioned in i Mr. Oray's letter. Pome of these boxes ■ have been supplied at 1/2 eaoh f.o.b. The shooks are tied up with Donaghy's lashins, which is a local product and has been used for the lost thirty years. Xone of the local sawmillers can remember receiving 3ny complaints from the islands about t'ne sliooVs not beinx satisfactorily tied up, and they are not aware tli" sbooks do not arrive in pood con- ' dition. This complaint is the first that i has reached the Auckland sa-wmillers."