ISLAND FRUIT

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 130, 3 June 1936, Page 10

ISLAND FRUIT

COMMITTEE INQUIRY TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS MERCHANTS' EVIDENCE

The inquiry by the Committee of Industries and Commerce of the House of Representatives into Island growers' petitions for improvement of the fruit industry, concluded in Wellington today. It may be further prosecuted in the Islands themselves.

A. W. Press, managing director of Thompson Bros., Ltd., Wellington, said that he had been associated with the fruit business for 38 years. Competition, he said, had resulted in purchasing on a f.o.b. basis. Purchasing was more to the advantage of the natives than of the importing merchants. The Jamaican orange kept better, but in juice content, he considered as a layman, it was inferior to the Rarotonga orange. The juice content, however, was the root cause of the deterioration of the Rarotonga orange, apart from disease. Heavy rainfall in the Islands might account for the big juice content; it was as high as 120 inches last year. The moisture content was so great in the orange that it made the texture frail, so that it would not stand up to the long period which elapsed between picking and reaching the consumer. ORANGES TOO MOIST. If the word "control" were changed to "supervision," rigid inspection could be carried on until orderly production was reached, said the witness. He was convinced that there was an inherent "vice" in the Rarotongan oranges and bananas due to moisture. More frequent picking and shipment, with cool storage might help, but he believed it would be found that the life of those oranges was limited to three weeks, even under cool storage. His firm had bought only the output of one grower since 1920, and it was doubtful if, taken as a whole, it had made any money. The fruit was sold at auction, the grower fixing the price, charging the ruling f.o.b. price plus 6d per case. He refuted any suggestion that his firm was connected with any combine in fixing prices. Free entry of Australian oranges might result in a slight lowering of values in Rarotongan fruit. GOVERNMENT HELP PROMISED. The Minister of Industries and Commerce said that it must be borne in mind that the inquiry was not _ yet concluded. It was still to be decided, after the taking of departmental evidence, whether the inquiry should be taken further in the Islands themselves, and it would be some time before the decision could be announced.

"I wish to assure the Ariki, and those with him, that the Government and people of New Zealand have their interests at heart," said the Minister. "We must decide what is the best thing to do. We may do it in the way you want or we may do it in another way, but whatever we do will be for the purpose of trying to improve matters for you if we can do it. We recognise that the Islands are an integral part of New Zealand." PRESENT CONTROL SUFFICIENT. Arthur Jacobs, representing George Thomas and Co., Ltd., of Wellington, said that his company had advanced sums to natives through a native company wljich had enabled them to carry on. His firm sold solely on a commission basis, which made its interests in Island fruit parallel with those of the growers, who were best served by competition through existing channels. As the authorities in the Islands were already possessed of control of the selection and packing of fruit, he saw no reason for a board of control. This concluded the taking of evidence in Wellington. NOT YET CLEARED UP. Thanking those who had given evidence, the chairman of the Committee (Mr. W. J. Jordan) said that much evidence had been given, and much inquiry would yet have to be made, because many of the matters' raiseti had not been satisfactorily cleared up. Consideration would be given to the questions of production, handling, shipping, and marketing. The evidence had been very helpful. On behalf of the Minister (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) he sent back with the delegation greetings to the people of the Cook Islands. He thanked witnesses for their evidence.

The Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands (Judge 11. F. Ayson) thanked the chairman and members of the Committee for the patient and sympathetic hearing tliey had given the witnesses, and for the latitude given in the taking of evidence. Mr. W. Mcßirney, on behalf of the native growers, said he appreciated the kindness ''of the Committee, which would be the means of clearing up a lot of the difficulties they had laboured under. On the part of the growers he assured them that they would endeavour to give the people of New Zealand a better class of fruit. They had been largely in ignorance of the manner in which shipments arrived here, and they would follow the instructions given them on their return.

They could look with certainty to the Commissioner and Director of Agriculture for the assistance they needed, said the chairman.