PRICE OF APPLES

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23248, 7 February 1941, Page 12

PRICE OF APPLES

TO THE EDITOR 07 THE PEEB3. Sir,—l do not know the price paid by the Government to the grower for Gravensteih end other apples now on the market, but I am informed the retailer has to pay about 12s a case for Gravenateins, and the grower gets a little over ss, out of which he pays all costs to run his orchard and the charges from the apple tree to the retailer. Taking 10 per cent. ; to cover marketing costs (that charged by any auctioneering firm), and 6d a case aver, age transit charges by rail or ship, our Socialistic State Marketing Depart&|b«it is able to make a handsome proout of .Which it is able to pay the Mpafgal manager and his staff handExcessive profits are also by the State from lemons,

oranges and bananas. The real producer, the hard - working orchardist, does not get sufficient to meet _ his living expenses, and he certainly does not get an annual holiday on full pay. The sooner we clean out this Government with its marketing schemes the better. This scheme has simply loaded the country with more State servants, instead of more producers of agricultural and manufactured products. We are short of real labour for industries and we are overloaded with civil servants. Why not call a halt? Yours, BtC- ’ APPLE EATER. February 5, 1941.