HOW THE TRADE WAS BUILT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1937, Page 6

HOW THE TRADE WAS BUILT.

(To the Editor.)

It in refreshing to note the sudden concern of Sir George Kichardson that the |iiiblie should get cheap Island fruit. and it is certainly a new departure for a city council to make recommendation* to the Government which will seriously interfere with the busiiKT.s of the council's Iμ , st tenant*. It i* logical to assume that if the Government, through the recommendation of the council, take* away a large proportion of the business of these tenants, the council will corresponding]v reduce the reiitrt of these same tenants t It. w easy to preach control by disinterested persons, but what about the other side of the i|UCKtinn* Assuming these merchants who built up the Island trade are not in the businosn for pleasure, surely they are worthy of some consideration. Probably the general public is not aware tlmt to get this trade thousand* of pound* have been sunk in these Islands, and Auckland generally has benefited to a very large extent. A big export trade is done from Auckland, and the bulk of this trade lienents many businesses other than the merchants who import this Island fruit and to whose forethought and enterprise alone this trade is due. What has the Government actually done to encourage Island trade beyond sending down advisers and inspectors? .Don't forget that the native pays for these services, arid pays heavily, too. Packing shed* were built for the better grading and packing of the fruit, hut not out of Government money. This again w.is done by private enterprise. The Government has jii-t assumed control of the Satnoar bananas, but the position there is altogether (,'iifeient from the Cook li-iandn. The Samoan Government pays a straight-out price for these bananas, which become* its property to dispose of. hence a selling price based on cost can be fixed for New Zealand. Jn this instance the Saiiioan Government in not interfering with private enterprise. Jt takes all the risk for a small profit, but Government interference in the Cook I .■-binds would mean that the merchants who have all along taken the risk would still have to tnkp tlii« risk with a doubtful chance of getting even a fair return. To hear some people talk it will soon be a criminal offence for a merchant to import fruit. No one can deny that there are times when substantial profit* arc made on fruit shipments, but let us not forget there are also times when very heavy losseu are made. What would the Island trade havt> been without the Auckland merchant* ? Would the Government have handed out thousand* of pounds as these merchant* did in the pH«t with practically m> security, reiving solely on the natives' promise that their products woul 1 be shipped to the merchants advancing the cash? Any person who has had dealings witli natives will realise how unreliable these people are. and why the merchant* at the present, time have so much money out in the Js hi ml*. VERITAS.