APPLE CONTROL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 106, 6 May 1943, Page 6

APPLE CONTROL

HARVESTING CROPS

ADVISORY COMMITTEES ACT

Many inquiries have been made at the Star office concerning the marketing of apples since the article appeared last Thursday revealing that a Swanson grower had had 34 cases of Salome apples rejected by Agricultural Department graders. A correspondent has written asking for information in respect to the dates of marketing certain varieties. From inquiries made at the Internal Marketing Division's offices, and from growers, it was disclosed that there is an opening and closing date for the marketing of practically all Varieties of apples. These dates are fixed by advisory committees on which there are representatives of the Internal Marketing Division, Agricultural Department, New Zealand Fruit Growers' Federation and orchardists. These committees take into consideration all the relative facts and fix dates which they consider good for the industry and for the market. The decisions of the committees have the full sanction of the growers. The advisory committees are appointed in all the fruit growing districts of the Dominion. One grower pointed out that the industry would not be able to prosper if there were not orderly marketing. Now varieties coming on the market would be affected adversely if earlier- varieties, over mature, were allowed to come in willy nilly. Another grower said that the fixing of dates was a policy of common sense, provided it was not made too rigid. For instance, if an orchardist could not secure sufficient labour or had had an illness which prevented him from marketing his crop at the right moment he was allowed extra time if he applied to the Internal Marketing Division. It was revealed at the division's offices that, although dates were fixed for opening and closing the market for various varieties of apples, the policy adopted was elastic. A grower who from unforeseen circumstances had his crop gathered a little later than the final date fixed for marketing was not penalised. No grower, it was stated, had had his fruit "turned down" on account of not strictly adhering to the dates fixed. It was necessary, however, for growers, speaking generally, to pick their fruit at the right time so that each variety could be disposed of in its proper order. It had to be remembered that the division was handling many thousands of cases of apples during the season.