THE FRUIT MARKETS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17223, 13 August 1921, Page 7

THE FRUIT MARKETS.

CHRISTCHTJRCH, The Grand National Racing Carnival l»s caused a rather slack time in the vegetable and fruit market. Throughout the week tho market for vegetables was dull. There v.-as venr little demand for any class of vegetables and prices sagged accordingly. Owing to the low price of local onions not many Victorian onions have been placed on the market hero so far. However, supplies of onions from Melbourne are expected to com# forward to the local maiiket from the middJo of September onwards. Only 'small shipments of fruit arrived during the week. The demand was small and prices were slightly lower than last week. The usual shipment of assorted fruits from Sydney is due here on Tuesday, es the TXlimaroa. Hi® Marama is due towards the end of the week with a shipment of oranges, bananas, and tomatoes from Raratonga, ana oranges and lemons from 'Frisco. The following is the range of quotations: —Apples, Nelson, per case, 8a to 10a; apples, local, per caso, 10s to 12b; apples, cooking, per case, 8a to 9s; bananas, Cook Island, per case, Wa 6d; cocoanute, per Back, 12s; lemons, Mildura, per case, 21s 6d; lemons, 8. Australian, per oaße, 31b; l«j»on9, 'Frisco, per case, 655; mandarins, per case, 225; oranges, Sydney, per case, 18s; oranges, marmalade, per case, 14s; oranges, Valencia, per case, 87s; passions, Sydney, per case, 255; pineapples, Sydney, per case, 245; peats, ©ooking, per case, 6s to 7s; pears, dessert, per case, 8s to 10s; walnuts, per lb, 9d to lOd; beet, per doz. bdla., Is 3d to 1b 6d; cabbages, per dbz., 4s to 6a 6d; cauliflowers, per doz., up to 9s 6d; carrots, per doz., la to Is 3d; cucumbers, hothouse, per lb, 2s; celery, 7d to 8d; leeks, per bdl., Gd to 7dl; lettuofe; per doz., up to Is 6d; marrows, per doz., 8s to 10s; potatoes, per s.b., Is 6d to 2s; onions, jjer cwj„ sa; parsnips, per doz., lid to Is 8d; potatoes, per sack, 4s 6d to 8s; pumpkins, per lb, lid to 2d; radishes-, per doz ; , 4d; spring onions, per doz., la 3d; turnips, per doz., 4dl to 6a; spinach, per dot., Is 6d; swedes, < per s.b., Is 6d to 2s. I ETJKEXHST. (SPECIAL. TO "THE PRESS.") DT7NEDIN, August 12. There are heavy quantities of cooking apples on tho market from the Taieri district. The demand ie not too keen. Some nice dessert sorts from Otago Central are l'oadily sold. The maiiket is bare of pears. Oranges, mandarins, pines, and .passions have been in, demand. A larg» shipment of these is eipedjtd nest week. Current prices are:— Apples—Jonathans to 10s, extra choioa to 12s. Scarlet Pearmains to 10s 6d, Stunners to 14s, Delicious to 20s, Cleopatra to 10s 6d. Californian lemons 45b, Adelaide to i 20e. Pearp 2d to 3d per lb. ITnfiß to 22s per caso, 'bananfl3 to 80s, passion fruit to 80s; Amerioaii oranges 465, Navela 245, man- . darin»;2Cs »6d. " i':; ' r . ' AUGKIiAND. . .(special to "the pjress.") AUCKLAND, August 12. An exceptionally fine shipment of Sydney fruit was landed from the Maheno,. and met with a ready demand. The Flora brought a consignment of fruit, from the Cook and Society Islands, consisting of: tomatoes, bananas, and oranges. The orange shipment is. smaller than usual,, but the' tomato shipment was slightly larger than J oat month. A good .demand exists for choice lines of pears and iLpplea. Boormans }m.-« receded in prioo, while good lemons ere sellisf fairly well. Guavas arf> almost done, a few today selling at fairly good rates. Silling prices are as follows: ' Island tomatoes, from. 9s down to 4s,- according to condition end quality: Rurotongan bananas (gieen) 9s to 12b Ba, iipe 16s to 20s; Island l oranges (original), 15s to 20s, re-packs 24s to 265; mandarins, 14s to 17s; pines, 158 to 235; passions, 16s to 2'Js; choice ripe pears (bushel oases), 15s to 17s, cookers IDs to lis; good lemons, lOs to 13s, medium 6s to 8s; Washington navel oranges, 90s to 22s 6d per box; best Poarman oranges 10s to 12s, medium 8s to 10s; Delicious apples 16s to 17s, Stunners 10s to 14s, Doughertys 10s to 18s, best cookers lis to J 3s. The next shipment of Sydney fruit is :luo at- tho end of noxt week, while the Tofua, is due from the Fiji • Islands on Monday with a shipment of ibananas. COOL STORED APPLES. CLAIM FOR DAMAGES. (special to "the press.") nelson, August 12. At the last Bitting of the Shpreme Court here, his Honour Mr Justice Herdman heard a civil the Aurora Trading Co., Ltd. (of Leeds street;' Wellington, importers, and Ralph B. Jackson, land .and commission agents Nelson) v. Nelson Freezing Co., Ltd., cold storage proprietors, a claim for £437 14s lid in respect to a consignment of apples stored in the defendant company's woras, a portion of which it was alleged had been damaged while in cool store owing to nogligence of the defendant company. His Honour's reserved decision vras read in tho Supreme Court, in the course of which he said that there oould be no doubt that the fruit which was in store, awaiting the order. of the plaintiff, deteriorated during its stay there, but it had not been proved to his satisfaction that any broach of duty on the part the defendant was responsible for the unsound condition in which the fruit was found when it ma removed from the Btore. ". ... I am unable to close my eyes against the one plain incontrovertible fact that fruit, belonging to other owners,"stored under tho conditions precisely similar to conditions under which the plaintiff company's fruit was stoned, survived and left the store in an excellent state of preservation."

Before dealing with the evidence, his Honour made these general observations: "First of all there appears to be a lack of exact knowledge amongst friutgrowers and persons engaged in the fruit industry ehout the cause- of in the apple. Many theories' were advanced about the cause or causes of what is called 'flesh collapse' In the apple, but no certain proof was_ tendered, tho result being that, having listened to the testimony of many witnesses, one is left in doubt as to what agency was in pert responsible for the condition of decay found in the plaintiff company's fruit. Secondly: The history of the operations of the defendant company, extending over the last tea years, seems to show that never before during that period had theTO been such a loss in apples stored in the store as happened in the year 1920." Dealing with the evidence, his Honour said ho must take it as having been proved that the season prior to the date when picking operations commenced was unduly wet, and thot a rainy season tended to weaken the constitution of the apple, especially in the case of apples when from young trees. There was the testimony of a number of witneea?a interested in the apple business which went to prove thot in 1920 the mortality amongßt apples other than Stoke-grown apples, was abnormal. He bould not MP thinking that an error of judgment was made by tho plaintiff company in keeping their apples in store too long. It was for the cool storage company to provide a store with proper plant, and to manipulate tho plant efficiently, but no oold storage company could bo expected to provide a stora and equipment • which would keep apples in a «ound condition indefinitely, and no cold storage plant was invented, or skilled management that could preserve apples _ which were inherently unsound. The opinioit he {his.Honour) had formed upofa a considers tion of facta" made it' unnecessary to d«ft!

with the legal defence raiwd by tho defendant company. Judgment wait j for tfcn defendant, with costs a/s prr scale- | POTATO GROWERS' ASSOCUTIOr. 1 Reports indicate ft firmer tone ia tfc» r:*r-J ket during tho weeit. Enquiries " ;i, '3 coming in from various buying ceatr«s, ><si-w ing for quotation® for any B*pt«cbet "air-. i Sales have been mado *t an advance r-' f?rTrt | 5s to 10s per ton on last weft's <jnot**ior-.. I Auckland reports Mute thai the «mtir.;:f ' | wet and cold weather bw held the twr croT--- 1 bark considerably, which should mssn tfc»* I old potatofio from tho South will bt irrr.ir- | ed longer than thsy would hsve been | an earlr npring in the North. _ i The XVaim&te brunch reports this r*<*' j that there 13 estimate! to be only aboct U - « to 1200 siokn left to market. The Anwu J tion hare eucceedod in shipping »bont BC'Vi <) Ba-cks during the week. f Stocks in Auckland are reported J Association hare enquiries Ipt Tarky* I:r-- f of seeds; the demand for which ii comfcg *■ 1 lato owing to th<* continued vet •sreath'r :" I the North. j Reports generally indicate the lii*Ufc*K>i »' i a hotter market both from tho prko and demand. . IMPORTATION* OF LntOKS. ' Mr T. \V. At twccd. r/>«idon tof 11:* " | Zealand Fruitgrower*' Federation, in an . ; 4«es to fruitgrowers at Tanrang* this ~«n 1-t rd that the low pr:» of lern/wra was <!■.*, tho dumphyr of similar fruit in Nra? Zi:- i Jind by Australian and American frrower.*. 4 Tho Federation was endeaTonrinc t®_ MtaV > lish in various cities in tho Dominion « ' M operative selling associations, asd sets-V wero already in existence. To get tin b»"! i out of the iirJuatrr, the producers must 1 control of fruit from tho orchard to the <x~ ; Burner. Those present signed e. pe':*' - '■! asking the Qovernmont to place an em'r ■' , on Imported lemons. t, JUTE GOODS HTDTTSTET. Information recently to hand by EAii i: Calcutta showed that ths Fort WilUsai mi.". ; which was the principal dissentient to it~ ; four-day working week, announced Ita ir- j tantion of eisrciaing the option peermitVri under ths agreement, and revolt iag to * t fire-day woek ss from August I*4. Tbo ccrr- i mittee of the Jute Mills A*«ooiatk« imise- ij diately decided that 'ha in teres la of tb» | trade the four-day agreement should set b» | broken. Thoy endeavoured to obtain the cop- 1 sent of manufacturers to continue Iht term- f day working week to tho end ft Bl|ilNtt«. I leaving the Port William mill to neA tm, j days. Tha Eowrah nnd Oranges nill*, txcgb- | boura of Fort William, howercrr, trere henaivo of trouble witfl their labeccr if tb»7 f were to work four daj» while Port William \ worked five daf*. and thaw two milli rmcli 1 not give consent to the atraagraWßt. Ar , other suggestion on whioh th® oemmitftee wai ' working mi Chat mills shonld work 2"" | daya of tea hours each, instoad oiivax ia*» ! i of thirteeok Another factor th*t Md to b*> j' taken into account by ®3l» WW wkstibe" - they could obtain cufficient ooal to w«rk ; days of thirtton. hours. The opie->r ' was that tb»y could not, ( GENERAL NOTES. | Mr Oscar Linas, chief inspector e! Us# TU-nV of New South Wales, who Jart been appointed general manafs>er ia sion to tho lato' Sir Joha BqimQ g is a native of Adelaide, and joia«A vico of the bank there on probation is IWT. From 1607 to 1900 he w«fl managwr of toe branch at Napier. Ho was then LiaiMfaniit to Mblbourne, whero he wan •ooowfffcT nesdstant manager and mansgtcr. He ?s* mainied in that ofllce until April ( Wl9» wfcts he wm specially ooleeted to imimml to Tufntdon to obtain, inter alia, fertlw fatUtfie into Kogliah ud foreign banking. 4fio i) get into don tonoliviththo flmodtl of tho troxld. Mr Xtfturft ißluutsd to trolia in 1920 as chief inspector, and to January of this jtax, «ay« tto "mxmj Mc»" ing Herald," ho proceeded to Jt«w WHW, whero he took personal charge of t affairs there, and conducted Mmib throtUfl' a very ttying tiaae. He wfcirned to B]4s« •" early in July. Bankers of Australia and BW Z*iZaßit ore eulogised by the fct the stand they We takes jeep"*** Vt.' exampled difficulties whkh bava iriwt It ttef mattar of exohang« facilities. 3B» imat states that heavy wtiyM? of Government tailor* to dkfH* of tha heavy wool stocks and the jQiMnl oollapaa of prices throughout the MU MM all played their part in what See fcw» * very trying jreaa: for buiimt «MsvaM> «8S for AxiatriUasian baalNM Ist porlMUliS. A* neuaL • cnntnlwrilft,' tha writer JmH9 been: heard that tho banks tew Mt«R liberal enough, baft » study of fb» iMWte ia eufficicnt to diapoa* of thws, iUt fft banks bees toon liberal they Wl» failed in their duty to tho fnMfa %M- - cautious policy ct difadßfMttisß in tha matter of advance* wha* Bkn Imo easily developed into o diaMtar Ml I averted, bat even aow tho Hill*" ■iit, "Xbere remains the necessity to ttaai Wtfilf if tha country is to oame through tW euooesefully." Recently enquiry vu made ts WWiB Vto the possibility of obtaining nwmsj tfcer-. for Anattsliaa bnsincM ixmea that ati&i wish to increuta their' capitaL A fcudffit; inembor of the Ijondon Stcdl writing ia reply On Jane MUs, Mft that leafntM ia in snoh a deplomblo mto •vawnhsst, and the commerciaJ worid is so mbcti *. liquid cash that it is extmaalr Aflsoh (« negotiate anything which requires JbstMvision of » largo ommmt of ciab. X*«f ia little h<ns at present of yladaf asytfcifu of a> speoulatiTe character la linden. Sue publio ia investing ia safe i>9( 1 his neither tho ffloney see thy dfap«S«s for speculation at present. Tho Mg sad m*t established concerns thsro ore IwUWUf «£ 8 per cent, first mortgafo debsetarasi, ttt sven in thaso esses underwrites* ha»* bmx left with much of tho stock on fcaad. ttt* statemsnt probably expl*tn» *fy it 4» a leading Anglo-Instraliaa tomtom fa understood to be E>Bgo*iating ygaSaa V /. > place » large issue of tho kfaA alMtlts&eously ia London and Helbourna on as 8 cent, mfamiot ttmfffof f«miga UQs «f is* ing—partioularly Oerinaa—ww t> snfcjeet «' Mfeeenoo in the annual report «f ths amf? cU of the Sydney Chamber «t Cemm«*, whioh was adopted at the wosnt ymfy ati '- ering of members. Tho scUMu that during the year nhder xwtmr tha Cb«?r ber had arranged tor the of » large number of foona of used.by vanota liasa of stawwa cargo from non-British porta to tto ©mmmonwealth, with » view to saoOrtaWlff *!»« clauses, if any, wert of a portfcahrlar jectionable natozo. HhO* nixlowl W* arble ia view of th«j fact that titw tw G«f' man lines of stsamew which trsded to i» tralia before the war had otoafa *** documents which ousted tho jerisdSetiw Australian Courts! and ptorldßd that .should be towMkOBV b^S» Courts. staatortfcw, IS t»m found that thero were other feffwgjt ping companies having similar oMee*fc»*s *. clauses ia their bills of lading* Cmscil expressed the opinion that owafco sw?* should bo token with a view to pwhiuSstg any vessel entering any CaoßßOßweßlta JWK whose bills of lading in x*p«et e}&S» W Australia contain soah claaeft. I. «<»• mittod that reasonable notice wueld be given of the snfowsm«»t « # eM Kl**; hibltion, and that spend be necossary to deal with JS? far as the Chamber I* awsrf, no BrftisS W-« of lading havo svw contained data** wOing jurisdiction of the Cocrt* tha JHjf* of discharge, although would bo determined, ia the aMeiteo efjewc2l Agreement to iU ance with tho law of tho flag of ths »««• to b.. te altered in relation to the at r*Uu*{ imports. The ba»a of va.MUonof fapcr? goods, whioh hss always been stitiJstsd ac cording to the J'2r Dortaticm fti time of arrival of vul yr L bawd on th. market ftioes tho declaration* are mads for clearaseo BWI C at the snnaal dinner of tie Sydney Commercial Travellers' ais Excellency the Governor (S.r D»wa; son), said:—"l am traveler for and Co.—(laughter)—h««d L»««on. and with many branches. M.s ];er» having a littlo trouble in tne flm !-!»»«. and the output has but business is still very considerable. 1»«#» wa9 some difficulty recently with .!» firm of Kaiser Wilbelm snd Co., be', '.li«7 ore now defunct. They owe wi »<aisasW7 still, and I understand there arn proatian of sixpence in tlie pound. (XrflAghtor.) fa a»* parte of New South Wales oar castoJnsns'aJ'o very sound. Thoy ar» approach«l Occasionally by representatives .of othsr ants. Bolshie and Co.—(laughteij—is oao, , l& those men do not belong to this swatitllf. —daughter)—and ra far sa I know, thoy fcats not yot found a cistomsr." (Applatsw.V I LUCE. The Uount Eomsrs Liino sad Stent C«. Ltd., having installed mots power cad «»•!: ing plant, aro now in a position ts KtpV.J Carbonate of Lime for immediate drills:. . Older for delivery now, and save disavpsi&tment later on. - 1 I'HE KT. SOMEBB SXQSII CO, LTD., 173 Csahel attest, Cfaistsfamfc, : 'SVtam-