MARKETING PRODUCE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1927, Page 8

MARKETING PRODUCE

(To the Editor.) Sir—There is no doubt that the greed oi ' the English shopkeeper for extravagant profits has played havoc with the apple trade of Australasia.

In June of last year, though the Australian fruit season was then at its. height,, 7;.-. greedy retailers were, in that month, m'ak- ' ing profits ranging from 80 to 150 per cent., which action necessarily created dif-' ficulty in disposing of the fruit arriving ' " at the ports. ■ .-.".' ' .'..■•.". In the week ending the 12th June, 1926 more than 170,000 cases of Australian apples were brought to London alone; andon the Saturday of.that week these apples were being sold at prices as low as from 6s to 10s a box of 401b, while the same apples were costing housewives, not only in the West End, but in suburban areas, from 6d to lOd a pound—an increase over the price paid to the importers of from 100 per cent, to 233 per cent. - Here is a table of'prices on a "Satur-"■" ! day in June at' Pudding Lane Fruit Sala ':■'. .-. Rooms, the principal market for imported- . friuts, together with the charges in the ■• shops. " . -' ' ■■".'. ,'.',".

Tasmanian apples of. first grade qualityV were at the same time being sold as cheaply, as 6s per box. ••*.!' A leading fruit commission agent in the '-' same week stated that : the wholesale^. I■, prices of Australian apples were lower :i----than they had ever been, but that the• -- public were not getting.the benefit. 'While', „'".• there was a great chance of giving^ , r ,', " a fillip to Empire, trade, greedy retailers, . . who preferred big profits on a small turn-V " over to a fair profit on larger sales, de-" strayed a golden opportunity. ' • ■,/_— '■' •- I send this along on account of the state-" '.. ments which have recently "appeared •; in: -': : your columns relating to this question.— •. I am, etc., - . ." „\.-.'■., ■ '■ ■ - THOMAS. WILFOKD. ■■',' 24th February. : / .

Box 401b Ribstons . ... 7s to 8s Scarlet Pearmains 8s Cleopatras ..:.. 9s 6d Stunner Pippins 9s to 10s -Retail prices . T ., 7per lb. . 6dto Bd. ' 5d to 8d ' ■'••■-■ 7d to-lOd' TdtolOdi'.