The Orange Shortage

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 186, 4 May 1937, Page 11

The Orange Shortage

Sir, —May I congratulate your correspondent, Mr. Ned Williams, secretary, Wellington Fruiterers’ Association, on his letter on April 28? If a few more people connected with the industry would take the trouble to write letters like that, we, the consumers, would perhaps be in a better position than we are in today.

I cannot remember any other time when our fruiterers have had such a scarcity of oranges; of course, we are forever being told that shipments are expected any day. but when they do come they are usually priced at means beyond our resources.

In a column in yesterday’s “Dominion” is a long paragraph about a club being formed to deal with that much-talked-of subject, the falling birth-rate. Every serious-minded citizen realises that it is a very grave question, bpt one much more important to my way of thinking is the present epidemic of infantile paralysis. Instead of forming a club to deal with our future children, couldn’t we all put our heads together and see if there is a way of saving our present generation from this dread disease? We have been told by a leading medical man that the present epidemic is caused by the wide shortage of citrus fruits, that it is a deficiency disease, and we have nothing to fear if we give our children plenty of raw green vegetables, wholemeal bread and oranges. With oranges at this exorbitant price how are we possibly to give our children their fair share? How are we to equip them with enough strength to enable them to resist the attack of the disease, if we have not the greatest weapon to fight with, namely, the much-abused orange? Why can’t we concentrate on bringing up our present generation to be fine, healthy citizens, to carry on the human race and to be proud that we have left a fine healthy stock for them to build up a future New Zealand. Perhaps if we housewives were to strike at the steadily increasing costs of our daily commodities we might get something done, but let us hope that trade with Australia will help us to get cheap oranges. I think that is the gravest problem at present.—l am, etc., MORE ORANGES. Marton, April 30.