FRUIT EXPORTS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21975, 26 December 1936, Page 10

FRUIT EXPORTS

STATE GUARANTEE OF 10/6 A CASE GOVERNMENT’S DECISION ANNOUNCEMENT BY MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE U’KESS ASSOCIATION TEI.EGHAM.) WELLINGTON, December 25. A State guarantee of 10s 6d a case of New Zealand fruit for export this season was approved by the Cabinet on Thursday. The Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) said it had been recognised that the costs of operating orchards and of the picking, packing, and distribution of fruit had increased, and in accordance v/ith its general policy the Government was anxious that the reward to producers and employed labour should be on a reasonable “It’ is, therefore, being stipulated that managers of orchards and specially efficient labour shall be paid at the rate of £4 a week, and permanent adult male employees at the rate of £3 16s a week, where no board or partial board is provided,” continued the Minister. “A complete schedule of wages will be introduced by order-in-council as an amendment to the Agricultural Workers Act, 1936. The Government is anxious to obtain the fullest co-operation of producers in the industry, and, in recognition of the fact that additional costs will be entailed, it has been arranged that a guarantee shall be at the rate of 10s 6d a case c.i.f., New Zealand currency. This guarantee will apply to all fruit exported through the board and to fruit exported by recognised organisations outside the board, provided such exports are made under the strict supervision of officers of the Department of Agriculture. . “It must be recognised that the Government is making a concession, in that its policy is based on the operations of the board; and before next season’s guarantee is considered the question of all exports being controlled by the board must receive attention. The guarantee of 10s 6d a case applies only to fruit exported; but it is confidently expected that an assurance of such a return will encourage the export! of fruit, unless relative prices equal to or above this figure are obtained on the local market. The Government is alive to the fact that fruit consumed locally should return a net amount to producers which is equal to the labour surplus provided in computing the export guarantee. It is impossible at this stage to compute the net, labour reward to producers; but market realisations will be closely watched so that the financial position of orchard owners may be safeguarded, should the local market not come up to expectations. “The true economic position of fruitgrowers is not so clearly defined as with producers in other branches of primary production, and this deficiency in knowledge must be rectified during the coming season. The Government exnects units in the fruitgrowing industry to co-operate to supply the necessary information so that future consideration of the requirements of the industry may be based on authentic knowledge.”