SHIPMENTS OF FRUIT

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 60, 8 September 1933, Page 6

SHIPMENTS OF FRUIT

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —I suspect that there is something more than the mere desire for cheap fruit at the back of many of the letters which have appeared in your journal. That, I think is clearly proved by the concluding remarks in the letter from your correspondent - "Inexplicable," whose preference for Australian:oranges is too obvious. Even bananas, apples, pears, Californian and Island oranges are not good enough; he must have Australian oranges. It ■would be waste of time, perhaps, to remind your correspondents that. there is an embargo upon New Zealand fruit entering Australia. What efforts have they made to have that embargo removed? One would think that the very existence of this Dominion rested upon Australian citrus fruits.

Oranges today are as cheap as at any average time prior to the embargo being imposed. Within the past week I have bought beautiful Island oranges at 2s a dozen, and they can still be had from any good fruit shop.

There is one point which I would like to stress for the benefit of your correspondents and in the interest of oor own growers. It has been proved conclusively in England that the dumping of heavy shipments of fruit from overseas countries has had a most injurious effect on the sale of local fruit. The New Zealand Government has very wisely imposed certain re* strictions upon the quantities of Australian oranges which may be landed here, and I hope that it will maintain those restrictions.

I would stress the importance of the large potential market for our fruit in the United States. Our fruit is now allowed | to enter that country and nothing should be done to jeopardise the development of trade between New Zealand and America which, by the way, is also a heavy purchaser of hides and other products of this country. We need another market- for our produce as we have only one left to us today.—l am,' etc., CONSUMER. !