PAYMENT OF CASE CHARGE

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24278, 8 June 1944, Page 3

PAYMENT OF CASE CHARGE

FRUITBUYERS’ ATTITUDE NO DECISION REACHED AT CONFERENCE A conference of all the parties concerned in the dispute caused by the refusal of the Canterbury Fruitbuyers Association to pay for any cases containing lettuce at the fruit and vegeable markets in Christchurch was held at the markets yesterday morning, but ne decision was reached. The fruitbuyers have refused to pay the case charge since June 1. A statement issued by the association said that the fruitbuyers were prepared to meet the growers at any time, but the growers had refused this offer. “The executive of the Canterbury Fruitbuyers’ Association desires to make it perfectly plain that there was no boycott oh lettuce,” added the statement. “The position is that these lettuce are sent to the markets by the growers in cases for which they charge 3d each. It was agreed more than a year ago that apple cases which contained lettuce should not be charged for. This charge has never been taken off, and therefore the fruiterers to-day have refused to pay for any cases containing lettuce. To prove that there is no cott on lettuce, as much as 15s a dozeriwas offered this morning, and this was refused by the brokers because the buyers would not pay 3d' lor;the case. “It is alleged that the question is the conservation of timber, but i the growers are determined to impose a case charge. At a conference held recently in Wellington with the Minister of Marketing (the Hon. B. Roberts), the growers brought forward a proposal to charge as much as Is each for banana cases and 6d for apple cases. On the return of these.to the fruiterers a rebate of lOd and 4d was offered to the fruiterer. As fruiterers handle many hundreds of cases a year, this loss of at least 2d a'case did not meet with the approval of the retailers. “The statement recently published by the Canterbury Association of Commercial Gardeners ‘that a minority of fruiterers was opposing the growers’ is not correct. The New Zealand Federation of Retail Fruiterers and Greengrocers is standing firm in its decision conveyed To the Minister that it will refuse to pay for any cases, and unless the growers are reasonable and are prepared to meet the fruitbuyers, it is improbable that any solution can be arrived at.”