APPLES AND PEARS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23177, 14 November 1940, Page 5

APPLES AND PEARS

PRICE IN COMING SEASON ''SLIGHT INCREASE POSSIBLE (press association tei.kgram.' , HASTINGS, November 13. The opinion that it was possible that the price at which the Government would be able to purchase apples and pears during the 1940-41 season might be slightly higher than those paid in the first season of Slate control, was expressed by the Minister for Marketing (the Hon. W. Nash) when he met a well-attended meeting of fruitgrowers at Hastings to-day. The Minister also said that he anticipated there would not be a loss on last season’s operations, but there might be a slight profit, although he was unable to say definitely. The Minister referred to the fact that 580,000 cases had been exported during the season, and he thought that when

the full figures were published shortly it would be found that the sum received for the export of fruit would meet the losses on the local market. He admitted that mistakes had been made last season, taut hoped that by talion on the procedure that it was intended to introduce during the coming season it would be possible to avoid mistakes and thereby save money. Turning to the question of the prices to be paid during the coming season, the Minister said, “I do not know what you will get for your fruit, taut X think it may be a little more than last year. I cannot take costs into account, because circumstances to-day are totally different from normal times. When the present conflict is over, if we act as marketing agents, as we hope to, then costs will have to be considered.”

Replying to a question, Mr Nash said he thought that in normal circumstances he would be pleased to agree to arbitration in the fixation of a price, but under the present conditions he could not agree to a tribunal being set up to fix a price on a case basis to be accepted by the Government. He would examine the question of arbitration.