THE APPLE EXPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 50, 28 February 1923, Page 9

THE APPLE EXPORT.

ALTERNATIVE FORTS DESIRABLE. ADVANTAGES OF SOUTHAMPTON, CARDIFF, AND LIVERPOOL. While in England Mr. J. S. Jessep, vice-chairmen of the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board, went extensively into the subject of apple freights between New Zealand and Great Britain, and in the agreement arrived at with the shipping companies a provision was made that any reduction in freights granted to Tasmanian apple shippers should also apply to New Zealand. He also made personal inquiries into the port handling facilities, and investigated the track of the New Zealand fruit from the steamer's side to the markets of Great Britain. Since his arrival in New Zealand certain information which he had asked for before leaving has followed him out. It relates chiefly to the advantages of unloading apple freights at alternative ports to London.

Mr. Jessep visited the porta of Liverpool, Cardiff, Southampton, and Avonmouth in the prosecution of his inquiries, and representative fruit importers had waited on him during his visits to all these places. Some of these ports received large shipments of American apples, and the agents there were well equipped to handle them. The port of London was not particularly suitable far handling fruit for distribution to other parts of England. Delays were very frequent there. The cases after being discharged from the ships were carried either in motor lorries or horse vans, and sometimes on the railways to Covent Garden where they were sold, and if the buyers were from other parts of Britain they were again transported to their destination. AU this handling was both costly aqd disadvantageous to the fruit —porters were not as a rule gentle or considerate of tbe contents of the cases. Qe found that at Southampton there was very extensive provision for dealing with fruit. The facilities there indeed were almost unrivalled. Apples shipped to Southampton could be sold and delivered by rail or motor transport two days after arrival. As many as from 20,000 to 30,000 cases from Western America, which now came via the Panama route, bad been disposed of by i one firm within two days.

It was claimed that the Southampton market supplied the whole of the South Coast and the Midlands, as far north as and including . Birmingham. A che_ap weekly coastal service supplies Scotland from there. At present New Zealand steamers called but did not discharge at Southampton, hut probably, if shippers desired it, this obstacle could be overcome.

Similarly Liverpool received large quantities of American and Spanish fruit. Mr. Jessep was informed that American apples started to arrive there ip quantities at the beginning of September.

At Cardiff, where buyers serving an area having a population of ten millions, assembled at the sales, and where three-quarters of a million packages per year were sold, the following advantages were submitted to Mr. Jessep in regard to direct shipments to that port instead of distribution from London: (I) Merchants buy at sales, thus saving commis-sion-buyer's charges: (2) bulks sold exdock warehouse, saving cartage itemj; (3) goods loaded direct from warehouse into railway trucks; (4) goods may also be discharged direct from ship into railway trucks if necessary; (5) of South Wales morchants, only 1 per cent bur themselves in London salerooms, the practice being to pay a commissionbuver, or purchase through a middleman. The expenses on apples delivered to South Wales from London were given to Mr. Jessep (in detail) as 3/6 per box, whereas the Cardiff charges were only lOd (for brokers' charges), a saving of 2/8 per bo v. The question of securing direct shipment to these ports Mr. Je_sep considers is therefore well worth looking into.