AIR FREIGHT RATE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22439, 20 September 1947, Page 8

AIR FREIGHT RATE

SPEEDY TRANSIT GROWERS’ INTEREST METROPOLITAN MARKETS In view of the growing importance of (his district as a source of supply for metropolitan markets, and ol the advantage arising from express delivery of perishable consignments, the recent revision of the air-freight schedule by National Airways should give general satisfaction to cultivators on the Gisborne flats and in portions of the hillcountry where berry-farming is a sideline of great potential value. General traders, too. have noted the revision of rates with interest, and the recent increase in volume of heavier consignments bears witness to their appreciation of fast transit. Poundages of such items as motor-car parts and other machinery have risen sharply since the new tariff came into eflcct. To those in business as agents or distributors, the value of air freight is determined bv the urgency with which supplies may be required- A motor firm requiring a replacement part can speed up delivery if the customer is willing to pay, and can pass on the cost. From the point of view of the grower of perishable goods, on the oilier hand, freight rates are a substantial item in costs of marketing, and the recent reduction should encourage a steady if not spectacular increase in volume of such consignments outward from Gisborne. Access to Central Markets Accessibility to metropolitan markets has improved greatly for Gisborne growers since the completion of the East Coast railway, and the line is handling a substantial quantity of produce every week-

There still exists, however, Iho difficulty of a time-lag in delivery which affects the value of perishable produce. Pip and stone fruit, and all varieties of citrus, root vegetables and some forms of greens are handled by rail without deterioration. Grapes travel well if carefully packed, and the same applies to many forms of berries. Cut flowers and soft fruits are liable to suffer loss of bloom and weight, however, if crated and stacked too long.

It is in relation to cut flowers and soft fruits that producers are likely to find the advantages of air freight under the new tariff most valuable. Delivery at metropolitan markets within a few hours of packing is an outstanding advantage applying even to shipments byair as far south as Invercargill. The effect of ihe new schedule is seen in a comparison with the old rates to main centres. The rate from Gisborne to Auckland was formerly (id per lb, and is now 4d: that to Wellington, formerly 8d per lb. is now ad; and the rates from Gisborne to Dunedin and Invercargill respectively have been reduced from Is 6d to Is, and from Is 9d to Is 3d. Urgent Inward Deliveries

The special discount of 10 per .cent on these rates offered to shippers of 1001 b or more to any single address in one shipment is not likely to interest horticulturists, but might prove attractive to growers of berries or such perishable greens as lettuce and Brussels sprouts. Its chief appeal is, of course, to merchants requiring inward delivt cries of heavier goods with a high degree of urgency. So far as Gisborne is concerned the outward dispatch of freights is confined to available space in passenger aircraft, leaving daily from Darton Field aerodrome for Auckland and Palmerston North, and connecting with main-trunk aircraft operating down the backbone of the Dominion. Volume has not yet reached a level where employment of special freight planes is warranted, but that objective is part of the general development plan of the airways corporation. Highly Perishable Shipments

Southern dispatches are at present made by aircraft leaving at 7-30 a.m., and growers have the advantage of being able to pack in the early morning and securing delivery to Palmerston North. Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in ample time for the same day’s trade in those centres.

Gisborne’s favourable margin in the early development of produce, as compared with southern districts, holds out prospects of substantial gains for growers under these circumstances. An interesting feature of air-freight development has been the inward delivery of day-old chicks. On one occasion the corporation made a successful transfer of thousands of chicks to Hawke’s Bay fer sexing. the babybirds being flown to Napier in the morning and returned to their owners in tlie afternoon. Large-scale use of air-freight outwards from Gisborne for chicks has not yet developed, but the district office of the corporation frequently handles inward consignments.

Swift transit by air is reinforced byarrangements for speedy- delivery at destination points.