MARKETING METHODS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 284, 27 August 1930, Page 15

MARKETING METHODS

Fruit and Vegetables “DISHONEST PACKING” “It seems to me that there is a great deal of dishonest packing going on, remarked Mr. A. E. Ansell, M.P. for Chainiers, during the hearing of evidence at yesterday’s inquiry into the marketing oi fruit and vegetables by the Industries and Commerce Committee of the House ot .Representatives. The chairman of tjie committee, Mr. G. C. Muuns, M.l’. lot Roskiil, presided. , ’ , ~ William Kwok, a partner in the firm of Kwok Bros, Wellington, and president of the Chinese Association, said every season they - had canse lor complaint against the Nelson tomato growers for short weight in boxes. lhe practice of false packing was to be found in cabbages, cauliflowers, tomatoes. apples, pears, peaches, and strawberries. False packing was never found in American fruits, and the. same could be said of Australian packing. Samples -of unsaleable fruit and vegetables he had bought at the markets were shown by a Wellington retailer, Ihomas Arthur Osborne. He said that it was practically impossible for any person not in the business to realise the amount ol wastage there was during the stone fruit season, and, if the good fruit which was saved was not disposed of quickly, it would go bad. He maintained that the fruit had been too ripe when packed, and considered that the growers should be guided by officers of the Agricultural Department as to the best and corrcc. condition the fruit should be in before packing, according to lhe destination of the fruit. Standardisation. A Mangerc (Auckland) fruitgrower, S. W. House, said that he bad been growing fruit for practically all bis lifp, and had also had a great deal of experience with various systems of marketing, lhe Auckland growers believed in standardisation. In liis opinion there were too many retailers in the business, the majority of them being like many fruit growers, possessing little or no knowledge of fruit itself. Consequently they had severe losses which could be avoided if they understood the commodity they were 'handling. Then again most of them had very small shops at rents out of all proportion to the amount of business that could be expected, with a poor displav of fruit. What was needed was plenty of stock. By increasing their turnover retailers could reduce their selling prices, ns their overhead, most of which was labour, would not be materially increased. Organisation of Growers. The Secretary of the Auckland Fruit Growers’ Council, Ltd.. G. A. Green, s-iid that the growers had no objection to Rarotonga and other island tomatoes coming in during the off-season. Juno to October. The .islands could efisilv produce more tropicnl fruits for the New Zealand market. He considered that one of the onuses of gluts and famine in different districts was that growers acted independently and shinned fruit without regard to the possibility of any particular market or otheis who might bo shipping there at that turn. The organisation of growers for purely distributive purposes to market centres was badly needed. . , If grading was honest it would result in a largely increased snle of fruit at reduced price to the consumer. In the opinion of many, city regulations that demanded that fruit shons should have glass fronts were a- great hindrance, and should be removed. He knew of one shon with open front which used to sei well un to 500 cases a week ordme from the onen window display Mhen the same shop was glassed in the sale, dropned off nt once. His council advocated a protection on canned. peas until the industry was established "’ the Dominion. They gave an .undoi.inkin„ that there would be no rise in price.