ISLAND FRUIT

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 83, 5 October 1922, Page 5

ISLAND FRUIT

EXISTENCE OF RING DENIED

IMPORTERS' DISTRIBUTION

PROBLEM,

<»X mMItJtPK.—SPECJAI, TO TBI POBT.)

AUCKLAND, This Day. The allegation made by the Hon. J. A. Hanan, M.P.. for luvercargill, that there is a ring in Auckland controlling the distribution of Island fruit was denied this morning by Mr. J. B. Donald, of Messrs. Donald, Ltd., and Mr. Harvey Turner, managing__director of Messrs. Turners and Growers, Ltd. "It is quite incorrect," they stated, '"and as far as we know there is no ring in the wholesale ' business in New Zealand in connection with the distribution of Island oranges and bananas." Begarding the price of Island fruit in the South Island, mentioned by Mr. Hanan, it was stated that transport arrangements generally debarred any possibility of the fruit being sold there at the prices ruling in Auckland and Wellington. In numerous instances heavy losses had resulted in transit. There was an instance at Oamaru, where Messrs. Turners and Growers, Ltd., had forward a consignment of oranges. They were repacked before they left Auckland, and more than half had to be discarded. They then cost the firm £1 per case, but they had to be again repacked at Oamarn, and the landed cost there was £2 a case. They were sold at 26s a case wholesale, which showed a heavy loss. There was another case where a shipment of 200 cases of bananas was sent to Invercargill) and resulted in a loss of over £100. A consignment of 700 cases of bananas sent by Messrs. Donald, Ltd., showed a loss of £400. Oranges which cost 12s 6d a case to land at Auckland last month cost over 23s after being repacked, this being due to loss of fruit, which was nearly half, labour in repacking, cartage, and the cost of destroying the bad fruit. At times money was made in sending fruit South, but in the long run it was better to sell at the wharf. The Southern men would not buy at the wharf at Auckland, owing 'to the risk of not getting the fruit in good condition to the South j Island towns. No doubt if the fruit l could be landed in Auckland in good con- | dition, if would carry much better to the South, and could be sold at about half the present rates. Mr. R. M'Callum, M.P., had staled that there was an enormous lack of enterprise on the part of Auckland business men in not fostering the trade. They should, he said, establish a line of vessels to the Islands for the purpose of bringing fruit to Auckland. Mr. Turner said he thought this was ridiculous, seeing that Sir Maui Pomare had state J that the Government could not dictate to the Unicn Steam Ship Company, which " hjp them by the wool." The Union StiSim Ship Company had the trade, and if the Government could not start against it, what was the use of suggesting that the business men of Auckland should do it? If a suitable vessel was put on the run, and they agreed with Sir Maui Pomare that an insulated steamer was necessary, it would improve matters considerably. If members of Parliament were in earnest in their opinions, they should see that this was brought about by subsidising a good steamer from Auckland. It was the slowness of the present, service and the un-. certainty of the steamer calls that put the trade in such an unsatisfactory state.