CONTROL OF BANANAS

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 98, 28 April 1938, Page 8

CONTROL OF BANANAS

- —• NO PRICE FIXATION. STATEMENT BY DIRECTOR. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The' control of banana imports by the Internal Marketing Department was the subject of comment to-day by the Director of Internal Marketing, Mr F R. Picot. ° ' " The object of the scheme, Mr. Picot stated, was to keep the retail price of bananas at a reasonable level by regulating the supply according to the demand. The Marketing Department purchased bananas from exporting cduntries, and was responsible for the distribution throughout New Zealand to brokers, who disposed of them on a commission basis. "It should be made quite clear to the public, as it has been to the trade, that, while the Government indicates to the brokers the price which they consider should be obtained, the price of bananas is not fixed," said Mr. Picot. "Some confusion has arisen in Auckland in the case of the recent Matua shipment. The New Zealand European Retail Fruiterers' Association, in drawing public attention to the disparity between the prices indicated by the Department's supervisor at the wharf and those later obtained at auction, have chosen to ignore the circumstances of this particular ease. "For the Matua shipment the ap- : proximate prices were 18/, 10/6 and 15/ for Fijian and 14/ for Tongan, according to brand and grade. The fruit were disposed of in terms of these prices. "Bananas which brought 10/6 a case were inferior and damaged. Those which brought 30/ the following day had been rushed through the ripening" process after landing in order to supply the starved market. Moreover, the total quantity involved at these prices was less than 100 cases, obviously a very small proportion of the total for the Auckland requirements of 11.000 cases." From the experience gained in hand- ■ ling the initial shipments he fully f expected the Department should be able ; to keep prices on a fullv-supplied : market at a reasonable and fairly constant level, not by fixing prices, but by i regulating supplv. [ *