FRUIT BROKERS CONFER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 309, 23 September 1908, Page 5

FRUIT BROKERS CONFER.

A NEY/ ORGANISATION. IMPORTANT TRAtiE POINTS DISCUSSED. .'■A conference ofitlio, fruit-brokers of Now .-••Zealand,'wising--.out'"of; proposals' mado in Auckland,. was -opoiicd.in an upper, room of the Grand Hotel yesterday morning. It is anticipated, that tho conference will result in tho fonqatioh; of -,a;permanent Now Zealand Fruit-brokers', Association. ' . i : Mr. GJ Townsend, of Townsend and Paul (Wellington),- presided,. and the other, dcle- : gates .present.wero tho following : — , '.- From 'Welliiigtoh'.—Messrs. W. J. Thompson (Thompson Bros.). W. Brown (Lacrv and Co.),- and E. B. Bnstow (G. .gliomas and : Co.). ' ; ' ' ■ Dunodin.—Messrs. Edwin Reilly (Eojlly, Scott, and'-Gill), Edward Moss (T. E. Shirt ■ and Co;),*'A. Mortizson (A. Mortizson and Co.), E. T. Paterson (T. Paterson and Co.), . and 'L Pryor (Prj'orvand Co.) Christchurch.r-Messrs. E. H. Little (Brown : Little,-and Co.),' G. H. Kirby,' and\G.' M'Farlane/ ' _ ' Atickland.—Messrs. A. Toomari (A. Too- • man 1 and Co.). T. Howarth ; (Donald ana • Edenborpugh),-and A-E. Glover. Invercargill.—Mr. E. ,B;, M'Kay' (M'Kay ■ Bros.) ■ - Fillaga - Claims. Mr.'E. Moss (Dunedin) moved: —"That from this ;.timb, forward! the :_fruit-brokers of Now Zealand intend- to. insist on payment of all' claims for pillage of fruit carried by all tho"steamship Companies, and that a deputation of the whqle of the' brokers at prosent in Wellington wait on. the JJnion Steam Ship Company iii.'referendotothe matter." Mr. A. Moritzson (Dunedin) and tho motion was carried. .v'-.V:,.,-':-v-f Damage by Slings. , . >, Mr. M'Farlane'(Chnstchurch) "■That the'shipping company be afckedj/in future to discontinue discharging fruit-with slings';. and be urged that the platforms_'Ui}ed in Tasmania in handling, fruit bo adopted;"/ Mr. E. : Reillv: (Duneum) seconded, motion was carried. ,/. ; Claims cn S'nort-Lando:! ■ Fruit. ';j Mr.. Ai: Moritzson (Dunedin)';/AH>jfes— " That this conrerenco acciae. iiiat the -ship-, pirig companies .pay' market.'-ivalue for all; claims for short-landed fruit submitted to them fif ,in order,'such claim to be settled at port ofi-arrival." . - Mr C. T. Paterson (Dunedin) seconded and motion was carried.. '

, f Damage by Delay.', ~y-/ • Mr. ; Moritzson (Dunedm) moved :—" That ill the.caso of fruit 'shorWlanded over-car-ried ffom original steamer, but aolivercd by a later,./steainei;, if; such, fruit arrives in a depreciated condition,'the steamship companies be hqld liable." Mr. E. Reilly (Duncdin) seconded, and tno motion-was carried:' '' , s i . Transhipment Trouoles. Mr. A. E. Glover (Auckland) moved :— " That; the attention of the Union Steam Ship Company .'be directed to the fact that better facilities/should be, provided for tr 4inshipirient of f/uit at Auckland, and, where ■ discharging-is carried .'on: at - night, that bananas if. possible bo placed in a shed; to protect tho fruit from weather conditions." •* Mr. C. ;T. Paterson (Dunedin)-seconded, and tho motion was carried: ; " ■' Colder Chambers. Considerable discussion took placo .on the need of refrigeration on tho Island steamers. Mr. Tooman said what was wanted was faster' Steamers^' ~' _' . ' , Other speakers considered there was. dan-\ ger -of the. fruit "being actually frozen and ruined.' The present electric fans, however, werfflinadequate.' v. ; ,- • • "A, inotion 'by 'Mr. IMo.ritzson to ask for a circulation of ,cool; ( 'air-..tfirough' tli'o fruit Iwasi ,'i'. '■ : b Cheaper Freights, on Steamers. Mr. Townsend drew attention to the high steadier freights charged on fruit. The • freight' on fruit was more: than 1 tliei freight' on general cargo, it cost less to . carry.Fruit was usually''stowed away in odd corners where other cargo could not go, and the 1 freight on fruit,' therefore, was pracv tically a]l profit/ . • The fruit tariff wa^-discussed in detail. Mr. M'Farlane (Chrislclnirch) said lie un- : derstood the Island.fruit trado did not pay the Union Steam, Ship'.'Company! . ' • Mr. Glover (Auckland): They are making • : a fortune out of it. > Mr. M'Farlane said lie was told on one occasion,'tliat the Navua, although full, camo at a loss. ■ ;, Mr! C. T. Paterson (Dunedin) said deck cargo,, was usually, regarded as surplus cargo, and carried, at a cheap rate, yet fruit from 'Sydney Carried on deck was charged 75 per cent;, more than oats and potatoes. ; .It was resolved: " That the matter of freight'; be'■ .brought under the liotico of the Union' Company; by the deputation." Faster Island Boat. ■Mr. Howarth (Auckland) urged the need ■ of a faster steamer for the Eastern Pacific service, and suggested'either the 'l'alune or the Monowai—' a'.boat;'tliat would arrive regularly in' Auckland on the Thursday morning. He moved':—"That the matter of a ; faster steamer' to' reach Auckland by Thursday ;' morning,bo'brought before the Union Steam.Ship.Company by the deputation, together witli the : question of the boat con- ' tinuihg down the coast. with the Southern cargo. . ••• Mr. Glover seconded. Mr. I Tooman' (Auckland) said he had reason to believe that a 14-knot steamer was - likely to be piit on the Island service shortly. ■ The motion' was carried.

Railago Ponaltio3 cn imported Fruit. Mr. M'Kny, (Invercargill) complained of the high, railago charges on imported fruit. ;• It cost 19s. per ton weight to send fruit from tho Bluff to Invorcargill—a distance of only 17 miles. It was absurd for tho Government • to say cheapcr fruit carriage did not pay. The freight on locally-grown fruit was 20s.'a ton weight, as a maximum for any distance, but that'did not apply, to imported fruit. It would cost 60s. a ton weight to got Hobart fruit by rail from Christcliurch to Bluff, but only 20s. for tho .same weight of local fruit. The public cry was for cheap fruit for the people, but the .doarness was due, not to high charges' of the middle-men, but to the prohibitive railway rates. The people. and press should agitate for cheapcr rates. • It was resolved, on tho motion of Messrs. M'Kay.' and . Thompson,, to bring' tho point under the notice of tho Minister for Railways-. ' , ' '..INTERVIEW. WITH HON. R/M'NAB. . . Iu the afternoon the conference interviewed the Minister for Agriculture,, the Hon. R. M'Nab. They were introduced by Mr. i?..E. Baume, M.P.,/and numerous other members of Parliament' wore 'present. Mr. Townseiul, as chairman of tho conference, submitted to the' Minister .the wishes of the conference''in regard to spocial treatment of 1 Island fruit, shipments in .relation to the import regulations. ■ ; Mr. Howarfch-(Auckland) said they did not wish. to escape the strictest examination of Island fruit at tho port of entry, but considered that in tho regulations insufficient discrimination had been made 'between tho Mediterranean and' the Queensland fruit-fly. The experts differed as to. whether' the Queensland fly could thrivd in New Zealand. But during the last thirty years they had : in Auckland distributed fruit cargoes swarming with fruit-fly; maggots, and some parts had been used by • nurserymen for growing stock, and other parts ploughed into .the ■ground for manure. But the fly had not established itself in New Zealand in consequence. They therefore desired that, examination. at tho port of entry should be accepted as sufficient safeguard: They appreciated 'the concession admitting bananas

gathered green without the mile-limit certificate. That certificate in regard to -other fruits in the Eastern Pacific Islands was quite unobtainable owing to the system under which the cargoes were collected for shipment, and they asked, therefore, that the Department should bo satisfied with: (1) a declaration of tho exporter- that the fruit was packed in a sound condition, and, in the opinion of -the exporter as far as his know-ledge-wont, was free from fruit fly, and (12) tho l strictest examination of the fruit on arrival. Great-interests were at stake in this question, the value of the goods shipped to tho Islands from Auckland in tho month of Juno being £50,000. His own firm alone had '£50,000 invested in the trade. ; Mr. A. Tooman (Auckland) ■ suggested that' as the resident commissioner of Rarotonga was willing to pay.the salary of an inspector, tho Government of Now Zealand should be satisfied with a certificate from such officer that to', the best of his' knowledge tho consignments were free from fruit fly; subject always to further inspection on arrival. It was considered there was no danger to be feared from Island pineapples, and they wore badly needed, ill New Zealand. , It was desired 'further that the Department should sanction fumigation for scale, etc., at the port of shipment to avoid the delays of fumigation after discharge. Mr. A. Glover (Auckland) asked that in the case of the Islands that wero not infected, .the regulations should be suspended for a few shipments to give them' time to learn how'to comply 'in regard to the certificates. ' . Mr. Paterson. (Dunedin) said-, that early in the Island' fruit trade at Dunedin many cartloads of fruit rotten with fruit fly maggots were distributed o\jer the district. He could confirm what Mr. Howarth had said regarding the inability of tho fruit ny to thrive in New Zealand. . ■ ... ,THE--MINISTER'S REPLY.' Tho Hon. It. M'Nab said he had received very many letters from all parts of tho coun- . tr.y urging stringent steps to keep out the fruit fly;' and , lie was convinced that if the regulations had been passed by measure in tho Houses of Parliament, they would have been oven more stringent. .When there was a difference of opinion anions experts as to whether, perhaps all of the-five fruit, flies plight not really be able to live in New Zealand, .the Department would never hold the confidence' of; tho local fruitgrowers if they admitted anvone of those flies. Tho Mediterranean fruit-fly had already in two seasons gained a footing in New Zealand, and had been stamped out at great labour and expense. He regretted he could not promise any further . relaxation than that relating to-bananas when shipped green. The milelimit, in regard to tho other fruits would he enforced/ The islands found to bo'totally ■free from infection would be able without difficulty, to supply the certificates. In the warm district of Auckland there was specially great danger,of the establishment of tho fly. As to accepting local inspection before ship: ment,-he* could not pledge himself till ho had received the'report of Mr. Reid now investigating the conditions of the Islands. When ripe bananas arrived, it would be for the inspector hero to' decide whether, in his opinion, they wero shipped green or not. ' Mr. Townsend, in conclusion, assured the Minister that the brokers did not wish to run counter to the Minister or to anything that was in the interests of the • public of New Zealand.