ORANGES.

Evening Star, Issue 21824, 13 September 1934, Page 12

ORANGES.

TO HIS EDITOR. Sir, —Your lengthy article of Tuesday, combined with Mr TapJey's thoughtless outburst, lias probably given the consuming public the idea that the retail fruiterers have been reaping huge profits out of the few oranges which our Government have graciously ” permitted to be landed. Perhaps a few figures and actual facts regarding the shipment which landed last week will clear tile air, and we hope that even you and Mr Taploy will admit that a shopkeeper must make a reasonable profit in order to keep his doors open. Three thousand eases were unloaded at Dunedin last week for Oamaru, Timaru, and local requirements. Prices wore fixed as follow:—Size 80, 16s; 96, 17k; 112, 17s fid; 126, 18s 6d; 150, 19s 6d; 176, 225; 200, 216, 252, and 288, 235. These are being retailed by tho leading fruiterers as follows (size 80 not wanted by retailers and mostly sold privately) :—Fcur at Is, mixed, size 96 and 112, gross profit, 8s 9d per ease; five at Is, 126 and 150, 8s 6d per case; six at Is. 176 and 200, 8s 9d per case; eight at.’ Is, 216, 252, and 288, 8s 3d per case. Allowing for 10 per cent, waste the profit is from 6s to 7s per case, without allowing for labour, cartage, and supplying of bags. Mr Taploy’s basis for his ridiculous statement is on a case of oranges containing 240 at six a shilling. The following list of sizes shows liow many cases there were of this size (our firm handled 511 cases out of this shipment) : —Size 80’s, 11 cases; 90’s, 63; 112’s, 70; 126’s, 125; 150’s, 99; 176’s, 65; 200’s, 45; 216’s, 21; 252’5, 5; 288’s, 7. No buyer was allowed to pick his sizes, these all being proportioned out according to quantity purchased. Condition on arrival only showed slight waste, hut owing to the shortage of supplies retailers had to purchase enough to last three weeks, until the next shipment comes to hand. The waste will therefore amount to close on 15 per cent, before stocks are cleared. We can safely say that had the shipment been put to auction the small sizes would have realised over 30s per case and the large sizes considerably more than the prices quoted above. The South Australian representative, Mr Mueller, has made it quite plain that he does not want to take advantage of the market, and the prices fixed can only show the grower a fair margin for his year’s work. , With the grower and retailer both making a little profit and the public buying the best oranges obtainable at four, five, six, and eight a shilling there cannot be much room for complaint by any section of the community. It is unfortunate that there are only limited quantities of small sizes available, but surely four or five large oranges for Is are just as cheap as six or eight small ones. It will be impossible to have absolute satisfaction until the embargo is completely lifted on all Australian States, when full supplies of oranges, mandarins, lemons, and passions will again be available. At present we feel sure that everybody concerned is making the best of a bad bargain, and the wholesale and retail trade will welcome plentiful supplies with prices governed by supply and demand only. It may be news to you to know that no Jess than twelve old-established fruit shops have been forced to close down in Dunedin since Easter, mainly on ac count of the Australian embargo crippling them over the past two seasons.—Yours, etc., Thomas Paterson and Co. Ltd. September 13.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I congratulate you on your effort in last night’s edition to stop the exploitation in the sale of oranges. There is no element of doubt that there is a monopoly moving behind the scenes. Last Saturday my wife purchased oranges at a local fruit shop. She remarked to the fruiterer that six oranges for Is was nothing short of fleecing the consumers. His reply was: “ I am not allowed to give any more, otherwise I shall be refused any further supply.”—l am, etc., Just Price. September 11.