ORANGE SUPPLY ARRANGED

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21967, 16 December 1936, Page 10

ORANGE SUPPLY ARRANGED

IMPORTS FROM AUSTRALIA

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PRICES FIXED

SHIPMENTS ALREADY ARRIVING

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGHAM.) WELLINGTON, December 15. "Following its decision to ensure that ample supplies of oranges will be available to the public at reasonable prices, the Government has made arrangements for the importation of 12,000 cases of oranges from fruit-fly free areas in Australia," announced the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, Minister for Industries and Commerce to-night. "To implement further its scheme of importation, the Government has taken action to fix the wholesale and retail prices along similar lines to those which were followed with the two recent shipments from Jamaica. These prices are set out in regulations published to-day, and for wholesale are 22s 6d an export case of approximately a bushel and a half, and 16s a bushel case. The retail prices fixed range from four for Is to nine for Is, according to count. . . "The regulations make provision for the oranges to be assembled and classified according to count, and for the marking of each separate lot with the number of the count and the number that are to be sold for Is. This provision is included so that the public will know exactly what they are buying. "Shipments are already arriving, and despite the shortage which exists in Australia through the recent heavy shipments to the Far East owing to the inability of America to supply owing to the shipping strike, and also to bad weather making it impracticable to pick the fruit, we are assured of our requirements being amply filled."

AUCKLAND QUOTA ARRIVES

AWATEA BRINGS 4000 CASES

DETAILS OF RETAIL PRICES

[THE PRESS Special Service.] AUCKLAND, December 15. The main portion of the 4000 cases of oranges which the Government has permitted to be imported from Australia to meet the Christmas demand, has arrived from Sydney by the Awatea. The balance, of 1000 cases, will arrive by the Wanganella next week. The consignments coming to \Auckland are for the Auckland, Taranaki, and Hamilton districts. The Government has fixed the wholesale price of 22s 6d a case and retail prices as follows: —126 count, four for Is; 150 count, five for Is; 176 count, six for Is; 200 and 216 count, seven for Is; 252 count, eight for Is; 288 count and over nine for Is. The fruit, which is from the Murrumbidgee district of New South Wales, arrived in splendid condition, there being a wastage of less than 1 per cent.

MORE CITRUS FRUITS THIS CHRISTMAS

SMALLER SUPPLY OF APPLES

Though there will be only half last year's supply of apples available for the Christmas season this year there will be more than double the supply of oranges and lemons and 50 per cent, more bananas. The number of cases of oranges and grapefruit which have arrived or will arrive for distribution in Christchurch this week is about 2500. Yesterday the Omana discharged 1118 cases from Victoria, and 353 cases from Sydney are due for Christchurch by the Wanganella at Wellington today. On Thursday 800 cases for the city are due by the Port Bowen from Jamaica and 250 cases will arrive from Wellington from the Kaikorai from Sydney. The adequacy of the supply was mentioned yesterday by Mr G. S. Radley and Mr H. W. Macfarlane, prominent fruit dealers in the city, and Mr Radley said that although the apples had not kept well in cool storage, the scarcity was more than offset by the larger supply of oranges and lemons. A good demand was anticipated. Further shipments of oranges are due in January.