A FRUIT RING.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 170, 19 July 1924, Page 12

A FRUIT RING.

I ALLEGED IN__AUCKLAND. „Sfl FOB IStAND PRODUCTS. DEbTk IN HOUSE. n ,- T ,c S »P»- I, - :iJll,enlilr * TI:PrOMCr " 7 ",VELLI>T.TOX. Friday. _. ra -"lit talk about the supply MfrVcook Islands to Auckland ■*ffSon was heard in the House Icintatives this afternoon. Mr. «?said that there had been T ' of disappointment felt b. ■'•"Co rult from' tho Cook Islands *C fruit shipped to Wellington did prices. It. was sa"d "_, Sen the last shi F ment waR C ° ml " S someone got busy in *i_SSrt of New Zealand, and the Aln market was not as favour- ,« it should be when the fruit all la Tvliether or not that was done, &_f_a unquestionable fact that those J-!£Z of the fruit trade had many SSStta of nipping in the bud any _££■ of Cook Islands fruit to any d ' T r The high price of fruit from Cook j£_b «» «• extraordinary feature, LCers finding P™es almost prohibiS He was not in a position to say wher there was competition among 2L, buyers, but he did not imagine rtTchi-es- formed one long firm, conLntly the high prices to consumers S-xphunable. It was the duty of S Government to give a plain and Z- te reason, if there was a reason, a* Cook Island fruit was so expensive. TUBS a necessary part of diet, but poor 1,1. could not buy it. The Minister, gr ilam Pomare. should state the cost 0 f production, transport, auctioneers' commission, and the price charged to the raibfe Doubtless the shipments were irrpnilar, but there seemed to be no initiative on the Government's part. _fr il. J. Savage said it should be possible for the Government to organise a shipping service, and to make the service regular. So long as it was in the lands of the shipping companies there ots no prospect of an improvement, fruit was fifty per cent dearer than it shmiH be. He believed there was sometiiig radically wrong in the transport that ought to be and could be put right _v tie Department. He did not think there was any intention on the part of Auckland traders to prevent those in other parts of the Dominion from having tk service they required. At the same time that was no argument for taking away what belonged to Auckland and wlat they should have. Kr. Geo. Forbes said that there should be fruit in every part of the Dominion, aid it was the Government's duty to see that the fruit transport services were properly organised in the interests of all. ' Framed-up Glut Alleged. Hr. D. Eraser said the cry during the Wellington "Health Week"" was "Eat more fruit," hut at the same time prices were prohibitive. He referred to the mmour that the wholesale merchants in A.__a_d let loose on the market a great quantity of fruit when the Cook Island conagnment was due in Wellington, mth the avowed intention of glutting the market. Whether the intention was there or not, the move was successful in glutting the market and in bringing down jrioes, and during the episode Wellingtoirpeople' got cheap oranges. Ho noted .with interest the Chief Government Whip's attack on the Minister for the Cook Islands "for hi a attitude in dealing with the fruit ring in New Zealand." Auckland merchants had nursed the Island trade to such an extent that the natives at one period were paying cartage charges for services never rendered. Ifr. F. N. Bartram said he was satisfied that the native growers were not getting a fair deal, and were being underpaid, while New Zealand consumers were grossly overcharged. A trader had remarked to •him -that there appeared to « a fruit ring in Auckland, which had »its first rule "Eighteenpence for oranges at Earotonga, 23/6 for oranges at Auckkud." Judging by the Auckland Fees there had never been a glut of hint there. Sir M. Pomare: Oh, yes; many times. WeUi-gtonians Too Mean to Buy. .i^'/.-* - Dickson (Parnell) protested SgMe Minister in Charge bavin" Jrted to Wellington part of Auck°- £ "toPPm* from the Cook «u>fc. Aucklanders were a fruit- ■ Dag people compared with Wellington |t tnnstchurch. Ifr.McKeen: Since when? Nuts. _£ v n l aid that whe " the Cook reached the WeUington £ 1 w l aß a glut '- U™ s P r °ved Tr • . T elUn S ton Peopte did not fete fruit from the Islands; they he population, and could not mSi ' Wh -I r - eas tlle A «ckland disMatW one - tlllrd ° f tLe D ~ n ' 8 J Hon. G.J.Anderson: Goon. ■toTabrX^ teame / 'arrived in Welling- * M&k W6e " k aftGr the mail Reamer. mu S!_ DCcas i 01 l eti b - v tbe bad ar^n ge : merchants had mm& ■ ? e for over thirt y years, PSh„ ti,'" 08 m i he They HJ_r wr, experience. ' earitfed in Parry: The y are not TV a Monopoly. fi S' tetn°> : K ° ; but th °y are «»- ---m are „y T> ?* Tket - Wellington tie Inr, e]y to ° mean t0 conmTlenr , [ But AuekSare P t0 take il ' Wellington "' afford t{ S ° P ros P and canCJ3_ £\ clarin S that the WellingW e ? c dld not understand the fruit jjgngton members (in chorus) . fed W il S bein S diminished. Dm hi S tkat the Apartment Cout '„ enco, . ra 2ed the trade to was ° n t neW ' lines " RobbiD g A «eknot gomg to solve the proWoJ; t H ° llaild characterised Mr. G^nunen t a w e _ as de Plorable. The **St ____ft'?' t0 or « anise the and marketing of the fruit. & l>urbs) __-?', r rifrbt ( Wellington •*df or ; Said , Mr ' Kekson's remarks %on _ P a P ply ' as he hnd sa id WelpSJfrX" t0 PUrChaSe lar^e Did he say a silly thing Jj.been made clear by Mr. FrLer *» to TO r n- that wben a shipment tWtsfn- Wellington Auckland mer - i «HH ti, SOIDe , reasoTl of their own the market witb fru . t r J U _" n " Island tr ade- "1 f>an it "■_f ta tement perhaps stronger lbso itn? o S » r ' bu( :helieving it to tfit- v ' S 1 ? Mr " Wri " ht > who £ X tt' r,lckson did not often ttin. rriT ? oUse ' and it wa s a good ■T that he did not. (Laughter).

I Instead of getting a cold douch the Minister deserved and received the thanks of Wellington. '"Out to Kill the Trade." Replying to his critics Sir M. Pomare (-.linisicr in Charge of the Cook Islands) said that the claim was made I that i lie diverted steamer would ruin I the merchants in Auckland. j Mr. iJickson: The producers. The Minister: They only produce debit null's. When the shipment I reached Wellington there was a glut, while Auckland did not have any fruit | Did the member for Parnell know why? i Mr. Dickson: Absolutely incorrect. j The Minister: You do not know what i 1 am gmng to say. The Auckland mer- | chants shipped fruit to Wellington. Mr. Dickson: Incorrect. ] Other Voices: It is quite correct. The Minister: And they ship to the South Island. That could he proved by ! tiie railway returns. It was not a large quantity, because they did not have a jlarpc quantity, but there is no denying I I lie fact. The Auckland merchants ! were out to kill that trade in Wellington. The Minister added that under ! the present arrangement Auckland still ; got half the fruit, and was the port of J departure for the vessel. He asserted I there were often gluts on the Auckland market. The natives in the islands had | a bushel of debit notes stating, "Owing to the glut on the Auckland market we were unable to get any higher price." Mr. Dickson: It is the bad steamer service.