THE PRICE OF FRUIT

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 155, 28 December 1918, Page 2

THE PRICE OF FRUIT

TO IB* JJDIiOR. Sii'j—lh reference to the price being chatged for apples just (idw, in Welling-' toll Shops, Which qilestidil. Das been raised by "Parent/ it few lines may help, to enlighten the pubiic as to the cause, and remove any wrong impression or stigma that is cast Upon the retailed. lour correspondent "Parent" ho doubt has. a grievance, arid, the majority of fruiterers are entirely in sympathy with him; but I am sorry_ he should have bo far exceeded discretion in stating that the .fruiterers took advantage of the joieyaiiing "festive spirit" by charging high prices. Cool stp4-es in: New Zealand are usually emptied of apple stocks towards the end of November, or'early in December, in anticipation of heavy shipments arriving from California, vaiid the present shortage is solely, causca by the (JUaraiitinirig of the Makura in Auckland, aiid its subsequent sailing for Sydney without first discharging a cargo,of i 4,000 cases of apples. Such being the case the enhanced value of the few remaining local stocks will readily be Understood. During the last few days apples have realised at auction as high as 35s per case, approximately ccfntaiilrhg 361bs. These particular cases cdntained a good percentage of unsaleable fruit, so that to the purchasers (fruiterers] the Cost was over Is per pound, this of course irrespective bf any further waste, which inevitably occurs before the fruit is finally disposed of. ■.'."•■ . -' . In regard to tho feeding of pigs with, fruit at the orchards, this of course only occurs during the season,.and then rarely with any other but unsaleable ftuit.—l am, etc., , JAMES T;.SHARP, , Ex:-Koh. Secretary, Wellington District Fruiterers' Association. 27th December.