LEMON SHORTAGE

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 109, 11 May 1939, Page 12

LEMON SHORTAGE

AUSTRALIAN SUPPLY. LOWER PRICE ANTICIPATED. STATEMENT BY DIRECTOR. (By Telegraph—Prese Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. An aeaucance that the acute lemon shortage causing prices to eoar in all parts of New Zealand would be relieved next week by an Australian shipment, and within a fortnight with the first of the Dominion crop, wae given by the Director of Internal Marketing, Mr. F. Picot. Christc'hurch retailers some time ago complained of the shortage, which eent the retail price to three or four a shilling. The demand for lemone wae recently accentuated because of their medicinal value in checking influenza.

The Internal Marketing Department was accused of under-importing and of allowing the price to become too high. Californian lemons in recent shipment* have been of poor quality, more than half of eome cases being wasted. Mr. Picot said that a shortage wae usually met with at this time of the year because of the change-over from Californian to New Zealand supplies. The position had been made more acute by the latenese of the New Zealand season. The Department did not want to import iinduly, as it wae felt 'that the shortage would be quickly relieved. The Government lemons would not be ready for eight or ten days—perhaps a fortnight. Lemons would Iμ? arriving from Australia within a week to tide the markets over the most difficult period. Mr. Picot said he could v* say what the size of the shipment would be, but it would l>e ample, nor could he eay what price the Kew Zealand or Australian lemons would be. Both varieties would be considerably cheaper than the prices now ruling. Last season's Dominion lemon crop was a bumper one, but this year the crop was on the light side. Nevertheless it would be ample to meet domestic requirement*.