FRUITGROWERS

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 126, 28 May 1920, Page 2

FRUITGROWERS

CONCLUSION OF CONFEEEKCE.

Tlie conference of the New Zp&la-nd Fruitgrowers' Federation was concluded this morning, Mr. .L Longton presiding. Complaint was mMe. of the delay in transmitting fruit over the railways. It was stated that fn some cases it had taken seven days for fruit to get from .Nelson to New Plymouth, and sometimes more tjian a fortnight from Nelson to Jjhinedin. Ono delegate said that four days before he left Centra] Otago he despatched some apples to Wellington, and they had nob reached here yet. .Another delegate said he had taken nine days to gat pears from Greytown to Wellington. Another phase of the complaint was that tlm railway authorities had a praotico of piling fruit on the slowest traiu:;' that" thoy ooukl iincl. In any ease, the essulf. war, serious loss to the -producer;-, besides which, it was suggeted thai tho railway authorities had no with the fruit industry. Eventually it was decided to eet up a Transport Commirtei!, t.o wait on tlio General .Manager of Railways and sat out the [tosttiou. pf the industry. The conference decided that, "in yisw of. the increased cost of living, the expenses of delegates ba increased from 10& v. 1&3 a, iriay. ft was dec.ided to recommend to the directora that next year's conference be held about ths middle .of June. The elfct-ie* of directors resuhed e.s i-iidei-: Messrs. Longton (Canterbury!, Neil! (Wellington), P&ltvidge and Atwood (Auckland). The conference concluded with votes oi thanks to the'officers of'the Department of Agriculture, and the chiiinnan. The conference decided to recommend that 5 per cent, of "black spot" be allowed in the aase of fruit marketed locally, provided that the cases, were clearly marked "black spot"; all other grades to be, clean, and in the event of fruit having: more thon 5 per cent, of infection being marketed, the Department order it to be sent to some central jam factory or to some charitable institution, as de?r.ied n«ces.-.~ry.

The following remits from the T'sisman Fruit Packing Association were adopted by conference-:— "Thai in view of the fact that New Zealand apples when exported wil.l be sold in the same markets' and to the ■same buyers as American apples, it is desirable, that 'New Zealand . shooM adopt as the standard apple case the Canadian ease measuring io£ by 11£ by 18in. inside measurement, and that the use of 'cleats' on the case for export be ,made compulsory." "That the Government be asked to make tjiu standard grading and packing regulations compulsory for next season,, and that a substantial penalty be inflicted for any breach of lhi> regulations, or for incorrect marking of grades on the cases," "Thr.t the Department be urged to finally ndc,pt r standard grade."