HIGH PRICE FOR FRUIT

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23415, 23 August 1941, Page 10

HIGH PRICE FOR FRUIT

“PUBLIC SCANDAL”

DISCUSSION IN HOUSE

(P R ) WELLINGTON, August 22. “The price of fruit and its sc .® rc to-day are a public scandal, said Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition, Watomo), during the discussion on the Estimates in the House of Representa lives to-day. The pubhe was pay ng the price of the apprenticeship of the Marketing Department. wl Ji cl J, learning the business of marketing fruit, but which had not t much as the old merchants had forgott6Mr Broadfoot said that the Minister for Marketing (the Hon. J-G-Bar • clay) had said that apples and pears were never cheaper m New Zealand. Mr Broadfoot said he should go round and try to buy them in shops. It was not possible to buy apples under 3 and 3-Jd a pound. The consumer today was the forgotten man. The Minister replied that there was always a loss on fruit that was stored. The average loss was 5 to 10 per cent. In Christchurch last year 3237 cases were destroyed, but the department s total loss was less than 21 per cent, which was remarkably low. It was hoped to reduce the loss still further A. Bodkin (Opposition. Gentral Otago) said that the, quantity the Minister mentioned as being destroyed last year was a mere fraction of what was actually destroyed. He suggested that it would be good policy for the Government to distribute as much fruit as possible to the public. Even at a substantial loss, it would return a sound dividend in the improvement m health of the community. Inexperienced Men

Mr D, C. Kidd (Opposition, Wailaki) said that growers told him that the reason fruit went bad and had to be destroyed was that the department had men in charge of the cool stores who did not know anything about the work. Mr Broadfoot said he had been told, on, reliable authority, that nearsf had been sent from Nelson to Roxburgh. Surely that was not efficiency. Mr E, L. Cullen (Government, Hawke’s Bay) said he thought the grading of apples in Hawke’s Bay was too severe. Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Opposition, Riccarton) said that case after case of fruit for use in schools had been sent from Nelson to Canterbury, at a transport cost of about 2s a case, when Canterbury fruit could have been used. The Minister: That was done only when Canterbury apples were not procurable.

Mr Kyle said he had been informed that Canterbury growers had apples available all the year rotmd. Mr Bodkin said that Nelson apples were being retailed in Central Otago in the middle of the fruitgrowing season, but it was only fair to explain that large cool stores had been built in Central Otago and the department wanted to hold local apples for use later in the season.

“I think the public realise the difficult position facing the department,” said the Minister. "This year we have had to handle a record crop with no export market. Some growers were getting a better price when they had an export market, but what sort of price would they be getting to-day if the Government had not taken control?”

A complaint that a New Zealand soldier in Cairo had been asked to pay 10s for a case of apples was made by Mr W. P. Endean (Opposition, Remuera). He asked why this should be so. when apples were being destroyed in the Dominion.

Mr Barclay: The Internal Marketing Department does not run the canteen. During the season, apples were obtainable in New Zealand at 2s and 3s a case, a cheaper price than ever before. If the War Cabinet wanted apples for the troops, they were available, but there were no doubt difficulties in sending them to Egypt, such as lack of refrigeration space.