FRUIT OUTLOOK

Evening Post, Issue 50, 27 August 1935, Page 11

FRUIT OUTLOOK

"TREMENDOUS CROP"

THE ''DOMINION" MARK

(Special to the "Evening Post.'')

PALMERSTON N., This Day.

j A large number of commercial fruitgrowers from various parts of the Wellington Province gathered in Palimerston North yesterday for the Wellington provincial conference of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation. Mr. W. A. Tate (Greytown) presided. The conference was a preliminary to the federation's annual meeting to be held in Wellington in September. Mr. A. H. Benefield (Wanganui) was appointed provincial delegate to the annual meeting.

The chairman commented that the smaller margin of profit in the balancesheet this year was largely due to a disappointing season. Nelson produced much less; Otago was,-in fact, the only district to show an increase. "We cannot get away, from the fact that the 'Dominion' mark has not been the success it was hoped it would be, and there are a( number of reasons for this," said Mr. Tate. "For one thing, the selling agents have been antagonised and a large sum of money has been lost. The year before last it was nearly £500, last year it was £800, and this year it will be several thousands. It is very , regrettable that this has occurred." !

The chairman said that several meet> ings had been held during the year to consider the position, and it was decided some months ago that "Dominion" mark should be brought to an end. The whole scheme was undertaken with the best intentions, but the depression and a short season were fatal to it. .

It was now proposed that a new board should be set up as an/intermediary between the Dominion Federation and the Export Control Board and the Agricultural Commissioner.

Mr. Tate declared that growers all over New Zealand were - preparing for a tremendous crop this year, it was estimated that in Hawke's Bay as much as 17600,000 cases : would be offered for export, but probably the export would be restricted to 1,100,000 cases,1 with 500,000 additional cases thrown on the domestic market. One of the first' jobs of the new board would be to make a statistical survey of the industry, including the problem of standardisation. r'

Asked if the export figure proposed for this year was the outcome of a definite arrangement with the Australian States, Mr. Tate said the figure was merely a forecast by the chairman of the board. There would be a further discussion by the board with the Australian Government. Much would depend on a message from < the High Commissioner's office expressing the hope that there would be no expansion of export for the coming season.

A list of 123 remits that will go before the annual meeting was briefly considered. . - >