MARKETING SYSTEM

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 100, 29 April 1937, Page 11

MARKETING SYSTEM

COMMITTEE'S REPORT

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

SOME BRIEF COMMENT

Inquiries made by a "Post" reporter today as to the views held on the report of the Committee which investigated the marketing of fruit and vegetables in New Zealand, tended to show that recognised leaders on the wholesale and- retail sides of the trade consider that the report and recommendations call for careful consideration before comment is made. Some made brief comment. According to one retailer some retailers apparently are satisfied and others do not quite know, yet what to .think about the proposals. It'was .learned that the Wellington Fruit and Vegetable Retailers' Association proposes to hold a meeting next Wednesday morning to discuss the report. The president of the association said he thought it proper that he shcl'.ld withhold any personal views he may have on the report until the meeting was held, otherwise a statement from him at this stage might be taken to be the view held by the association. After all, he added, he felt that nothing should be done or said that might cause embarrassment, because the retailers had asked the Government to do. something fti the matter with a view to bringing about improvements. The manager of one marketing firm epitomised his views on the report by saying that it concerned four sections, namely, growers, the wholesale dealers, retailers, and consumers, and that the Committee had endeavoured to give each section something at the expense of the others. The position of the wholesale firms as between the growers and retailers was something akin to that of the ham in the sandwich. As he saw the position from his reading of the report it was that the growers were to receive, payment for their fruit and tomato boxes and. lower auctioneers' charges, but at the same time the grower had-to cease concealing inferior quality goods in the expectation of getting.away with it. The.retailer was to receive quality "and twelve to the dozen."' The consumer as he saw it, had the retailer by tho "short hair," because the retailer's profits were to be definitely limited by statute and competition from barrowmen. MUCH MORE DETAIL. "The auctioneer," he continued, "well, I don't know whether he gets anything very much. We are asked now to conduct our businesses on a reduced commission plus additional clerical work." In this connection he referred to two specific recommendations of the Committee. One was that the full name and address of the purchaser of all fruit and vegetables sold at auction or."by private treaty on commission is to be plainly stated in the relative account sales to the • consignor, and the other provides' that every purchaser of fruit from an auctioneer, broker, or fruit merchant is to be furnished at the time of delivery of the fruit by the vender with a statement giving a full and ■:'■ complete description of every variety of the fruit purchased together with the quantity, grade, and price of Ins fruit, and the date of purchase. "I fail to see the advantage to the grower of knowing the life story and address of the man who bought his box of tomatoes," he declared. "Brevity in preparing auction ..accounts is very necessary, and if we have to write a book of words as to the contents, number, grade, size, and quality,, in addition to the value, well, we shall have a full-time job and will earn our rest at the end of the week." One of the executive officers of another merchant firm said he had no comment to make at this stage. He thought the report required careful consideration, and he proposed discussing its contents with some of his confreres. CENTRALISED MARKETS. From others with whom the report was discussed, it was evident that there is likely to be fairly general agreement with the proposal for the centralisation of the markets. One of the principals of a wholesale firm said that although he had not as yet analysed the full text of the report and did not wish to offer his views on the findings and the recommendations at this juncture, he did agree with the suggestion that'the markets should be more centrally situated. In Wellington they were far too spread out and scattered. The. manager of another merchant house expressed a similar view, and also supported the view expressed by the Committee that in attempting to improve the producer's position it was of very great importance to deal with the question of sound and honest grading and packing of the goods intended for sale. That, he said, was very necessary. There should be no topping off or mixing of inferior quality goods with produce of the best quality, nor should sacks of potatoes come on to the market containing, as happened sometimes, pounds of earth. These were matters requiring attention, and the ' sooner all growers realised the folly of such methods'the better off they would be. There were some growers Who packed with the strictest possible regard to size, quality, etc., and they reaped the reward of the reputation they had established in this connection. Their goods brought higher prices and sold readily.