CHRISTCHURCH FRUIT TRADE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 70, 15 December 1939, Page 7

CHRISTCHURCH FRUIT TRADE

Fears Of Invasion By Chinese By Telegraph—Press Association, CHRISTCHURCH, December 14. Fear of a Chinese invasion into the retail fruit business is haunting established retailers in Christchurch. Unconfirmed reports indicate that a Chinese syndicate has been formed in Auckland for the purpose of establishing a chain of DO shops throughout New Zea land, ami that Christchurch is to be the chief centre of invasion. In Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin, Chinese already have more or less a monopoly of the retail fruit business, Christchurch being the only centre where Europeans have been able to maintain control.

Resentment at the opening of three new’ Chinese shops was openly expressed by some retailers in one auction room this week, when, it is alleged, they refused Io buy unless an assurance was given by the broken’ that further supplies of green bananas would not be given to one of these new shops. The boycott threat, it is reported, achieved its end. . Officials of the Retailers’ Association state that they have no knowledge of such action being taken.

The fact that greater numbers of Chinese arrived in New Zealand during the past six months than ever before is also causing European retailers considerable concern. Established Chinese retailers are also reported to be somewhat perturbed. According to I he Abstract of Statistics, the arrivals in six months to the end of October exceeded the departures by -HO,