Price Of Fruit

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 119, 13 February 1941, Page 9

Price Of Fruit

Sir, —In fairness to fruit retailers, may I be permitted to correct tlie statement of the Minister of Marketing regarding fruit marketing. Mr. Barclay states that the only fruits directly marketed by the department are oranges, bananas, lemons, apples, and pears. . What about the now highpriced pineapples and grapefruit? Does Mr. Barclay wish to disown such high-priced articles as these? Also, does the department not control and market the island tomatoes? Mr. Barclay further states that the department at all times makes available to wholesalers “ample supplies of oranges and bananas at the lowest possible price.” Surely he was not in earnest, or was perhaps thinking of the high cost of maintaining such a luxury department as the 1.M.D., which must be paid for by the purchasing public. Also, supplies are nearly always famine, and not ample, as reference to any retailer or wholesaler will verify. As to the recent regulations mentioned by the Minister: these appear to be merely a clumsy effort to cover the ever-increasing cost of citrus fruits, and the only result is utter and complete confusion to everyone concerned, plus the employment of a host of inspectors which further increase the cost. Mr. Barclay states also that last year, in marketing apples and pears, the department made these fruits available at lower prices than had been in existence for many years. Surely as an illusion this is a masterpiece, but he forgot the lemons, grapefruit, pineapples, and oranges. I would suggest once more than competition, with ample supplies, would bring about once more reasonablypriced fruit as obtained before restrictions were imposed on importation and before the , local fruit industry was straddled with the enormous burden of a State Department, which is both uneconomical and unnecessary, and does not justify its existence.—l am. etc., A. BENNETT. Treasurer, European Fruiterers’ Association. Wellington, February 12.